


A Rewrite, A Cup of Coffee, and Several Meltdowns

by Chadwicks



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Protagonist has a twin, With that out of the way, ace characters, akechi stans stay away, plot rewrite, so love yourself and dont read, this is an akechi hate zone, various gay disasters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2019-11-18 06:31:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 50,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18115217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chadwicks/pseuds/Chadwicks
Summary: Want to replay Persona 5 but can't be bothered to go through all of that railroading again? Perhaps you want to play Persona 5 but don't have the money! Then I present this fic as an alternative. Enjoy a lot of extra jokes and some gay disasters.





	1. A Lot Happens and Anxiety Ensues

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't read all of the tags I'd like to say again: We don't like Akechi, so if you really like him I don't recommend reading this.
> 
> Other than that, welcome!

Felix stared blankly at the woman across the interrogation room table from him. They had taken his glasses, so this was more difficult than it sounds. She was saying something, but his aching body and drugged-up mind made it hard to process. He tried again.

“Can you hear me?” Oh good, he managed to understand at exactly the right time. “It seems like you’ve been through a lot.” the woman, Sae Nijima, continued. He knows that he knows this woman, but at the moment cannot remember how. She’s damn right, he’s been through a lot.

“Anything can happen here… and I can’t stop them.” That was supposed to be a threat, but her heart wasn’t in it. It came out more as a warning. He tuned out a little as she said something about honesty and being short on time, tuned back in when he realized she was asking questions finally. “What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident?” She asked so quickly Felix couldn’t even think about an answer. As he tried to think one through, she said even more things, and he had to focus. “Because I couldn’t figure out the method behind it.”

Finally, he mustered up some words. “Why would you want to know…?”

“It isn’t an issue of whether or not it can be used in court. I need to know. This is my case, after all.” So she was asking for herself. She brushed a bit of hair out of her face. “It seems you’re coherent.”

Felix blinked slowly. Was he?

“How did you do it? How is it even possible to steal someone’s heart?” She paused to look at her watch. “Tell me your account of everything.” Everything? That seemed ambitious for someone apparently so short on time. “Start from the very beginning.”

Felix made an effort to finally meet Sae’s gaze, and give her an answer. “I hope you’ve got time. That… is a very long story.” He put a hand up to his head, resting on it slightly. She frowned and looked at her watch again, but nodded. 

***

Felix shook out of his doze, only to realize that he was just on the train. He blinked blearily and looked around. The buildings passed by outside, as far as he could see around all the people on the train. He anxiously squeezed his knees. The city was new and frightening. Looking down, the memory of what got him here rose to the forefront of his mind without permission.

The glare of the car’s headlights on the orange sunglasses, the woman crying for help. The man stumbling, then yelling at him with blood streaming down his face. The grip of the policemen had been rough enough that Felix wasn’t going to forget it anytime soon. It wasn’t just that that disturbed him, the way his parents looked at him when they got him out of lockup.

He’d never been full on arrested before, despite what he and his twin, Jack, did for a living. Their parents lived in poverty, so the brothers had taken to pickpocketing and petty theft to get by.

Jack... he’d been the only one who had actually believed him when he explained what had happened. But Felix had had to leave behind his brother along with the rest of his little life.

Standing near him, talking loudly, were a couple of girls around his age. They were discussing the alarming series of accidents in the past month or so. He listened for a little while, but they weren't saying anything the news hadn't already.

Felix zoned back out; it was easier to just watch the buildings go by, confirming that he really was now in the city, away from his brother and everything he knew.

It was crowded at the train stop. All he had to go on was a piece of paper with the name of the man who would be taking him in, and he wished the man could have just picked him up at the station. He headed out from the train stop with his phone out, pretending to look busy, trying to distract himself from the crowds. He looked up to make sure no one was staring at him. Nothing but random strangers, paying him no mind. 

When he looked back down at his phone an odd icon had shown up on his maps app. Without any input from Felix, the app grew to take up half of the screen. Felix abruptly stopped walking, eyebrows drawing together. He tried tapping it a couple of times.

It didn’t seem like it did anything but he was distracted from the mysterious app when he felt the world start slowing around him. He looked up and around, watching as the world ground to a halt. Birds stopped mid-flight, bicycle wheels stopped spinning.

Felix did an alarmed 360 to look around, until a blue fire caught his eye, alarming him further. The longer he looked at it the more it looked like it was taking a vaguely human shape, until it expanded and morphed to grow what looked like wings. 

It reflected on his glasses, captivating him. A face emerged from the flame, a red fire in direct contrast to the blue. He took an involuntary step back, as his own face emerged from the fire, its eyes bright yellow.

Felix blinked and it was gone. The world resumed around him, but he stood still. He took a quick breath, looking around again. The eye on his maps app remained, no longer taking up half the screen. He shook his head and moved it into the trash bin nervously.

He caught the next train, barely noticing when it stopped at Yongen-Jaya, where he made his way into the backstreets. It felt more right there, more familiar. He looked back down at the note he had made.

Sojiro Sakura…

Felix took a calming breath. He could do this… it was just an entirely new place, with new standards and new people with rules and expectations he doesn't know.

Oh, he was screwed.

Felix stuck his hands in his pockets as he made his way down the winding streets. Despite this being the backstreets, there were both stores and resident housing. A thrift store caught Felix’s eye quickly. He approached only to find that the owner was “On Break”. He sighed, but perhaps he could use it to his advantage later. 

He looked around for another moment or two, noting a laundry, and several vending machines outside an old style bath house. His map was getting vague so he got up the nerve to talk to a surly looking officer. 

“Yes?” the policeman snapped. Felix tightened his arms to his side before taking a breath and forging ahead.

“Uh, could you give me directions to this address?” He asked, showing the officer the address. He squinted at them. 

“Hm? Oh, that’s a residential address.” He adjusted his hat and looked up. “It’s in an alley a bit further back. Take a right after that apartment with the stairs.” He pointed the apartment out. Felix nodded and thanked him. 

Felix hurried on to meet his new… caregiver. He passed a young girl talking to her mother also about the string of auto accidents.

He came close enough to the house at the end of the street to read the nameplate. Sure enough, it read “Sakura.” Steeling himself again, Felix reached out and rung the doorbell. The lack of an answer for several minutes filled him with both relief and intense worry.

Though that left him with a couple of options. Sakura-san was out, or ignoring the door. 

“Looks like no one’s home...” A voice from behind him startled Felix, making him turn around swiftly. It was only a Parcel Delivery Man, he was looking down at his list. “Oh yeah, Sakura is usually at his café at around this time.” He scratched his temple.

“Well, LeBlanc’s in the back alley, I guess I’ll just make my other deliveries first...” He trailed off, mumbling to himself about where to go next. Felix ran a hand through his hair, before letting it flop down onto his glasses.   
He wandered around again, but he was tired. The policeman was still standing there, probably bored out of his mind. The younger boy approached quietly, spooking the man.

“You again. What is it?” His surly tone almost made Felix back off and search for it himself.

“W-where is LeBlanc?” He asked quietly. The Policeman’s eyebrows furrowed, as he repeated the name to himself.

“Oh, right, that café. It’s in an alley past the tobacco shop there.” He pointed again. Felix nodded, noting that it was the same alleyway that held the laundromat. Thanking the policeman again, he bowed and hurried a little faster down the backstreet. 

He silently cursed himself for not noticing it earlier. He carefully opened the door, a bell ringing to announce his arrival. 

The inside of the café was rustic, making him feel a little like his life had suddenly gone sepia tone, except for the man in the pink shirt sitting on one of the stools. He was reading a newspaper while facing an elderly couple. There was barely enough time for Felix to look around before the news on the TV in one corner of the store started talking at him; again about the string of traffic accidents.

The customers, an elderly couple, expressed their horror at the news story, but the guy in the pink shirt with the beard seemed to be ignoring both the customer's idle chit chat, and the tv.

“Vertical... the name of a shellfish used for farming pearls...” The pink shirt man mumbled to himself.

Felix tried to stop himself from blurting out the answer, but it slipped out before he knew what was happening. "Clams!"

Felix could have crawled beneath the beautiful mahogany floorboards as the man looked up, his dark eyes zeroing in on Felix, his eyebrows raised slightly.

“... Oh, right.” He placed the newspaper on the counter behind him, exposing the gray apron he was wearing. “They did say that was today.”

He seemed to be analyzing Felix, but was interrupted by the elderly couple standing.

“We’ll be going now, payments on the table.” The man said, the pink shirt man nodded. “This place is in the back alley, no worries of a car crashing in here.” He continued, smiling pleasantly. 

“A what now?” Pink shirt man looked surprised, a sentiment that Felix felt reflected his own feelings.

“There’s been a string of those rampage accidents, you know.” The older man explained. “I just hope that none of those happen around here.” 

“That’s none of my concern.” Pink shirt replied. Felix looked at him, his surprise etched on his face. Vehicular accidents seemed to be the only thing anyone was talking about right now.

“Haha, we’ll see you next time.” The elderly man didn’t seem very surprised by the quick snub. Felix stepped out of the way to let them pass him. As soon as the door closed behind them, the pink shirt man rubbed the back of his head.

“Four hours for just a single cup of joe.” He said with a sigh. He dropped his arm and looked at Felix again. “So, you’re him.” He blinked, and cocked his head at the older man.

“Is Sakura-san here?” He asked quietly. The man smiled.

“I’m Sojiro Sakura. You’ll be in my custody over the next year.” Sakura said, once again looking Felix over. “I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you’re the one huh?” He paused to allow Felix an answer, but forged ahead at his silence. “Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other and--” He stopped and rubbed the back of his head again. “Not that that matters... Follow me.”

“Yes sir.” Felix said quietly, following Sakura further into the café to the stairs. 

The room he lead Felix to was larger than he had expected. He knew that it was his room by the large box in the middle that held all of his belongings, except for the white V-neck, blazer, and jeans he had worn to arrive there. 

“This is your room.” Sakura said needlessly. Felix wasn’t going to lie to himself, but it looked... shabby. There were trash bags populating the floor, which went well with all the dust. Empty gas cans were stacked against one wall. The neat freak inside him was screaming that he needed to clean it immediately. “I’ll at least give you sheets for your bed.” Felix zoned in enough to hear Sakura say so.

“It’s big.” He said, still partially zoned out. Sakura seemed surprised.

“It’s on you to clean up the rest.” As soon as Felix nodded, he continued. “I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. You’ll be alone at night, but don’t do anything stupid. I’ll throw you out if you cause any trouble.” He took a breath and closed his eyes. “I got the gist of your situation.” Felix’s eyes widened, and he prepared himself for yet another person who didn’t believe him.

“You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?” It sounded like Sakura had the right story, so far he was the only one other than Jack who did. “That’s what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?” That was the long and short of it. Felix hung his head.

“Yes sir.” He acquiesced quietly.

“And now that you have a criminal record, you got expelled from your school.” He paused, running a hand over his hair. “The courts ordered a transfer and move out here, which your parents approved.” It hurt to have it all laid out like that but it was true. “In other words...” Felix finally looked up, watching the smirk form on Sakura’s face.

“They got rid of you for being a pain in the ass.” He was right but Felix still made a face at him. Sakura’s face hardened again. “It’s best you don’t talk about anything... unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business you know.” He pointed out. “Look, if you behave yourself for the year, and nothing happens, your probation will be lifted.” 

“A whole year...” Felix said softly, looking at a point over Sakura’s shoulder. It still didn’t feel real, like any moment he’d be jolted awake by Jack, shaking him out of bed so they could steal breakfast before they headed to school.

“Your sentence lasts until next Spring. That’s the whole year.” Sakura pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. “Cause any problems and you’ll be sent straight to juvie.” Felix’s parents had said as much, but Sakura’s threat was surprisingly softer than theirs had been. 

“We’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow.” He announced, dropping his hand from his face. Felix raised an eyebrow.

“Shujin?” He asked, blinking.

“Shujin Academy- the school you’ll be attending.” He dropped his hand to his hip. “We’ll introduce ourselves to the staff there.” His dark eyes bored into Felix’s soul, making him gulp. “There’s not many places that accept someone like you, you know.” Felix doubted that, before this whole debacle he had his choice of schools thanks to his grades.

“What a waste of a perfectly good Sunday...” Sakura said sadly, a feeling Felix had felt for the past week. “Oh, your, uh, luggage, arrived earlier.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the box. 

Sakura left after that, to go take care of the shop below Felix’s new room. He sat heavily on the bed in the corner. He had never felt more alone in his life and it was taking all of his self-control to not have his own mental breakdown. He swallowed, and put in his earbuds. This was the fate he had resigned to, he might as well clean up the space he’d be living in for the next year. At least the stacks of books on both the desk and the shelving unit next to his bed seemed to be his to keep. 

Felix started the task of cleaning, getting rid of the dust that covered pretty much everything first. He mopped and shoved his box of belongings onto the shelf of questionably heavy bags next to the stairs. Sakura had left out sheets for him that he quickly fitted to the bed. Cleaning took most of the day, but Felix didn’t think he’d have done anything but panic if he hadn’t been doing it. 

Standing in the center he surveyed his work.

Sakura took that moment to climb up the stairs and into his room. Felix quickly popped a wireless earbud out, pausing his music.

“What the heck?” The look on his face was surprised and a little bit... pleased? Felix wasn’t very good at reading people. “I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn’t think it was cleaning.” Felix hid his face behind his hair and glasses, he had caught himself singing along to a couple of songs.

Sakura looked around fully, even over towards the bathroom area that Felix had originally avoided. “Actually, this place doesn’t look half bad.” His smile fell quickly. “Though it’s only natural you’d want to keep your room tidy.” Pulling on his beard, Sakura continued. “Why don’t you turn in for the night? You don’t have anything better to be doing, right?” A snarky comment about having to go and do criminal stuff passed through Felix’s mind. 

“I’m going to close up shop and get out of here myself.” He squinted at Felix. “I won’t take care of you if you get sick from staying up too late, you got that?” With that, he turned on his heel and went back downstairs. Felix nodded to himself, taking another look around. He had done a lot so far, but his arms were aching from all the lifting he had done. He decided that the rest of his room could wait to be cleaned for a day. 

The pile of gas cans looked even worse once Felix turned off his light. Shivering, he pulled the covers over himself.

As expected, he didn’t get to sleep right away. His mind raced, reminding him how he had gotten into this whole mess. The drunk man’s orange glasses were burned into Felix’s memory, making him squeeze his eyes shut.

Even with that, he couldn’t let himself regret helping that woman. 

He had had to go home early, meaning that it was the only time he was without Jack. The drunkard could be heard down the street, the woman matching his volume. That struck Felix as he thought over it again, it felt like he had been the only one to hear the fight.

“No!” The woman yelled again.

“Don’t give me that shit...” the man growled, trying to force her into the car. Felix distinctly remembered thinking that he couldn’t let that happen before he ran forward. 

“You think you’re worth causing me trouble?” Despite the acidity in his voice, he didn’t let the woman go. He went on about how she couldn’t call the police because they were that man’s bitches. That didn’t stop the woman from struggling.

Moments after claiming that the police belonged to him, sirens started. A slight smile came to Felix’s face, looks like he wasn’t the only one who had heard the yelling. 

However it really only succeeded in making the man angrier.

“Get in the car!” He demanded, forcing the woman closer to the car. “Incompetent fools like you need to shut up and go where I steer this country!” He slurred. Felix took a brave step forward, making the drunk finally notice him. 

“This ain’t a show. Get lost, kid.” He said sharply. He turned his head to address the woman. “See? This is all because you’re so damn slow!” He yelled at her. “Get in the car!” He ordered.

Felix finally broke himself out of his memory, opening his eyes and finding the attic ceiling of LeBlanc. He let out a breath, and closed his eyes again, hoping that sleep would take him, but his phone vibrated, demanding his attention. 

Fishing it out of his pocket, he realized that he shouldn’t have put it there. However, the strangest part was that the weird eyeball app was back on his app list. He could have sworn he had deleted it, so he did it again, and went to bed.


	2. Nightmares in Sleep and in Traffic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Mental Breakdowns? I suppose it's still just a coincidence. Felix is welcomed rather cooly into his new school, but perhaps that will be a good thing in the end...

Felix’s eyes snapped open and immediately knew something was wrong. He wasn’t in his new room at LeBlanc, that was for damn sure. The walls were a blue velvet cloth, but it still felt like he might be in danger. Chains rattled somewhere out of sight and he could hear the sound of something dripping. 

Sitting up, Felix became aware of his hands shackled together, actual shackles made from a wooden plank with holes. Bewildered, he let out a panicked breath and swung his legs over the side of the slab he had been laying on.

"What in the hell--" Felix muttered, but he was interrupted by a feminine giggle that got his attention and made him look to his right. 

Beyond the bars and chains of his cell, two small... women (?) appeared, flanking the door. They had odd costumes on and eyepatches that mirrored each other. 

Curious, Felix stood, intent on approaching the cell door. They took a step closer together simultaneously, solidifying the idea they were twins. Felix frowned and made to take another step forward, but became aware of a literal ball and chain detaining his left leg. Testing the length of his chain, he walked to the cell door. The ball and chain let him get that far and he grasped the bars, his curiosity sparked by the room beyond.

The two girls turned and let him get a good look at the room. Several empty cells lined the walls of the circular room, but what Felix focused on immediately was the man in the center who sat at a wooden desk. He had his hands folded together, and was watching Felix with an unsettling grin and large bulging eyes. The man lifted his chin and unfurled his hands from one another, extending one to Felix.

“Felix Merlin Gambit, the Trickster... Welcome to my Velvet Room.” Well, that certainly explained the velvet walls. His voice didn’t match his appearance, it was deep and clear, and he somehow managed to speak entirely through his smile. 

“So you’ve come to, Inmate.” The odd child on his right barked. She gave off the vibe she didn't take any shit from anyone. 

“The you, in reality, is currently fast asleep.” The one on the left was gentler than her twin. “You are only experiencing this as a dream.” She said softly. Felix fought to not make a face. He had already figured that out, the colors were too vibrant and everything was too loud for this to be reality.

Also, he wasn't wearing his glasses, but somehow he could see everything clearly, which was a new experience.

“You’re in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!” The sharp-voiced one demanded, smacking the bars of his cell with her baton. He thought he was already standing up straight.

“I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” The man at the desk said. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a “contract” may enter.” He explained. “I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.”

Felix swallowed, a heavy lump in his throat. This wasn't reality? He knew it was a dream but what was all the stuff about between mind and matter? This was all too strange and frightening.

“I summoned you to speak of important matters.” Igor tapped the desk in front of him rhythmically, a motion that Felix focused on to keep his knees from buckling. “It involves your life as well.”

His life?! Was his life in danger? Why? Why did all this shit happen to him?!

“Important matters?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice steady.

“Still, this is a surprise.” Igor ignored his question, “The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart.” He looked around, examining it. “To think your heart would appear as such.” Felix tilted his head, if true, that would be an excellent insight into his psyche. “You truly are a “prisoner” of fate.”

“In the future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.” Igor continued. Felix blinked again. This was... Definitely a dream. Only a dream would make this little sense. Any minute now, all his teeth would fall out and start dancing. 

“Ruin?” He asked, hoping that Igor would stop being cryptic.

“I speak of the end to everything.” Felix rolled his eyes. Yes, that was the definition of 'ruin'. “However, there is a means to oppose such a fate.” Igor continued. Felix leaned forward automatically, intrigued. This dream had such an interesting plot. Weird, but interesting.

“You must be 'rehabilitated'. Rehabilitation towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin...” Igor paused, letting it sink in. “...Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?” 

Felix squinted at Igor, several things didn’t seem right about him; Felix just couldn't put his finger on it. He swallowed again, composing himself to speak. “I’d rather just avoid ruin.” He said quietly.

“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.” It wasn't a question. He was going to observe whether Felix wanted him to or not. The twins stepped together and turned to face Felix.

“Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others.” He brought up an arm and rested his chin on it. “To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.” Felix's mind automatically noted the distinguishing features of each twin. The right one, Caroline, had buns, and the right eyepatch. The left one, Justine, had a braid, and the left eyepatch. Things like that, Felix's mind tended to remember.

“Hmph.” Caroline started, snootily. “Try and struggle as hard as you like.” She exclaimed with a defiant lift of her chin.

“The duty of the Wardens is to protect inmates,” Justine said quietly. “We are also your collaborators.” She paused, her yellow eye shifting to look at Caroline. “...That is, if you remain obedient.” That was also a threat, it was just phrased nicer.

“I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion.” Igor cut in. The Wardens turned back around swiftly, to face Igor. “Now then, it seems the night is waning... It is almost time.” Igor said cryptically. Felix sighed in relief, it seemed that that was all he was going to get out of this dream tonight.

“Take your time to slowly come to understand this place.” Igor had switched hands and was once again tapping the table. “We will surely meet again...” With that, he stopped leaning on his left hand lifted it into the air. A loud alarm bell went off and Felix released his grip on the bars to take several steps back; looking around for the source of the noise. 

“Time's up!” Caroline said. “Now hurry up and go back to sleep.” She demanded, in the least relaxing tone possible. He still had questions, so Felix tried gripping the bars again, only to wake up in his LeBlanc room with a start.

He went over the dream again and again while he got dressed in his uniform. It still felt clear, even though his dreams usually evaporated with the morning sun. But he also was usually able to talk about them to Jack, who was still not answering his phone.

It sounded crazy, but he texted it all to Jack, slightly abridged for clarity. He'd just put his phone back in his pocket when Sakura-san came up.

“Looks like you’re up,” Sakura-san said. Felix looked up at him from where he sat on his bed. Sakura had a new white blazer and a white hat on. He thought it suited the older man quite well. “Well then, let’s go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. Shujin is in the Aoyama district.” Felix blinked at him, he had no idea where that was. “It’ll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain.” Sakura explained, and pinched the bridge of his nose again. “I’ll drive you there today. Let’s go.” Felix finally smiled his slight smile and stood. 

“Sheesh... Men aren’t usually allowed in my passenger seat.” He barely caught the mumbled complaint from Sakura and snorted a laugh.

The ride to Shujin was quiet and short. Felix didn’t mind, he wasn’t usually one for conversation anyway. He enjoyed looking at the city from the safety of a personal vehicle instead of a crowded train.

Once they arrived at the school gates, Sakura turned to face him.

“Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right?” He asked, looking tired. Felix cocked his head to the side. “Don’t get me wrong,” He continued. “I don’t care what happens to you.” 

Felix tilted his head to the other side, watching Sakura carefully. That didn’t sound at all like someone who didn’t care. Sakura-san was certainly a complex man.

“Just don’t cause me any trouble.” He asked with a sigh before turning around again. Felix shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. His goal was to get through this as fast as possible to get back to his brother and his normal-ish life. It might be hell before then, but if he could expedite the process with good behavior, he’d do it.

Sakura-san was eager to get through the process of signing whatever paper the principal slid his way, making Felix raise his eyebrow. He wasn’t sure if his new guardian was reading any of the guidelines. 

“To reiterate.” Felix fought to not roll his eyes. Principal Kobayakawa was the kind of man to constantly repeat himself. “Just so we’re clear, you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on your side...” He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. Felix knew his grades alone had made it easy to ignore his new criminal record. 

“You might have done a number of things in secret in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here.” The Principal looked at him, a hard look in his eyes, lessened by his mustard-colored suit. Felix fought to not let his panic show, no one knew about his and Jack’s side business, they were incredibly careful. The Principal was still talking.

“If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.” He threatened, quick to lay down the rules. Felix nodded silently. Finally, the Principal gestured to the woman standing next to him. She didn’t look like she wanted to be there, and was currently staring off into the distance. “This is the teacher in charge of your class.” She finally looked up.

“I’m Sadayo Kawakami. Here’s your student ID.” She could have handed it directly to him, but she placed it on the table instead. Felix’s eyebrows drew together briefly, but he picked it up off the table. “Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office.” Felix nodded, again, starting to feel like a bobblehead. He liked to stack the deck in his favor and knowing the rules meant he could break them stealthily.

“And,” She continued, “if by chance you cause any problems,” it sounded like she expected that he would do exactly that. “I won’t be able to protect you at all.” He had thought that was obvious. She looked down at the Principal. “That is your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?” 

“He is responsible for all his actions.” He confirmed. 

“But really though, why me...?” The adults talked like he wasn't even there. He felt about two inches tall, his hand going to the back of his head. “There should’ve been other candidates.”

“It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening.” The principal sighed. 

“If you’re done explaining things, mind if we get going?” Sakura asked, propping his hand on his hip. “I got a store to get back to.” Felix silently thanked him, he didn’t think he could have taken any more guilt.

“Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him.” The Principal demanded, and Felix could see the impatience bubbling up in Sakura’s tense shoulders. “Don’t let him cause any trouble outside...” He scratched the back of his neck.

“I’ll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he’s in.” If Felix wasn’t trying his best to make a good first impression, he would have just slumped to the floor.

“Come to the Faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.” Miss Kawakami said. He was going to argue that he could find his way on his own, but Sakura gave him a look and they left the office.

Sakura stopped at the front door and let out an annoyed breath before adjusting his glasses.

“They’re treating you like some kind of nuisance...” He said, almost in a sigh. Felix looked at him curiously. He had thought Sakura felt the same way... “I guess that’s what it means to have a criminal record.” He turned slightly to look at Felix. 

“Turns out your past follows you wherever you go.” He nodded in response, it certainly was going to follow him for the next year. “By the way,” Sakura paused, his expression hardening slightly, “if you get expelled now, I won’t hesitate to kick you out. Got it?” There wasn’t as much edge as there had been when he had first threatened it. The man was softer than he let on.

“I’ll be careful.” Felix responded, his lips quirking up slightly. Sakura looked away from him, examining the fixtures; an almost bashful reaction.

“School never changes, huh?” He said with a sigh. He then shook his head. “Come on, we’re going home.”

The traffic on the way back was horrid. Enough so that Felix started tapping his fingers on his knees and Sakura started fidgeting with the steering wheel. 

“Traffics not moving at all.” Sakura growled when they were stuck in the same spot for too long. Felix had to fight to not jump at his rough tone. “You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.” He continued, still annoyed.  
At Felix’s continued silence and apparent anxiety, Sakura relaxed a little in sympathy.

“So how was it?” When Felix shot him a confused look, he continued. “The school I mean. Think you can manage?” Felix thought for a moment. He actually felt like he could handle it. It felt almost like a challenge…

“It seems... fun.” He said, hesitantly, wanting to prove he wasn’t afraid. His fingers kept tapping on his knee, betraying his true feelings of anxiety.

“Do you even understand your situation?” Sakura asked with a sigh that made Felix's heart sink. Of course he knew what situation he was in. He had been ripped from his home... “Still,” Sakura interrupted his thoughts. “You were expelled once already. To think you’d re-enroll at a different one.” Felix had thought it was obvious. It was infinitely harder to get into a University if he hadn’t finished high school.

“It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you.” He continued. Felix’s fingers stopped tapping and he gripped his knees. He knew that already. “... If that’s what it’s like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too.” Sakura watched the cars going by them going in the other direction. “What a troublesome kid I’ve taken in...” He added, more or less to himself. It still struck Felix.

“Why did you take me in?” He asked after a moments pause. The question had been bugging him ever since his parents had angrily told him so. Sakura continued to watch the oncoming lanes of traffic, avoiding Felix’s gray stare.

“I was asked to do it, and I just...” He said simply. “Happened to agree to it.” That wasn’t a real answer, and Felix pushed his lips together and his brows furrowed. “I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.” That surprised him, he didn’t think his parents would pay for it, though Jack might have.

This time, the radio news interrupted Felix’s train of thought. It spoke about another train accident, which explained the traffic. They finished the drive in silence.

It was late evening when Sakura-san and Felix arrived back at LeBlanc. If he was honest, climbing into another car would make him scream.

“I wasn’t able to open the café today,” Sakura muttered when they entered the café. That made Felix feel bad, the café was Sakura’s revenue source. Felix rubbed where his glasses had been sitting on the bridge of his nose. “Just head upstairs, there’s something I want to give you.” Sakura said dismissively, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Felix’s eyebrows drew together, but he followed Sakura upstairs without complaint. He didn’t really know what Sakura could possibly want to give him.

“Talk about a gruesome accident, eighty people were involved.” He put his phone away with his left hand, but pulled something else out of his right pocket with the other. “It’s a diary.” He clarified at Felix’s confused expression. “Make sure you write in it.”

"Thank you, I will." Felix nodded, placing the journal in his bag, and his bag on the table near the stairs.

“You may be under probation, but there's no special limitations on what you do in particular.” Sakura seemed to realize how bad that sounded and continued, “Beyond following the law, I suppose.” He sighed again. “However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities-” He looked like he was going to say more, but his phone rang.

“Hey, what’s up?” He was much softer with whoever was on the other end. “... I’m about to leave right now.” He smiled at whatever the other person said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there in no time.” He said his farewell to the person, and hung up, then turned back around to Felix.

“Well, I’m off. I’ll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night.” That was a surprising change from last night, but Felix kept his face blank as usual. “Oh, but don’t mess up my store. If something goes missing, I’ll hand you right over to the cops.” There it was. “You got school tomorrow, so you better head off to bed, all right?” 

“Yes sir.” The urge to say ‘yes dad’ popped up in his brain unbidden, but he squashed it. Sakura-san walked back down the stairs.

After a moment's thought, he dug out the diary. Fiddling with it for another moment, he decided to write his thoughts on the principal, before he texted it all to Jack, who he was starting to be worried about. His silence made the loneliness feel even worse, but Felix was sure that Jack would respond soon, perhaps in the middle of the night. 

He hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're a little ahead in chapters right now! So posting should be faster at the moment. I want to stay ahead, but I'm a college student so bear with me. And hey! My other sister is joining the ~~writing~~ editing team. ~~because I'm inept~~ As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. First Day Jitters?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A roller coaster of a day, and it's only the beginning.

Felix took off his school blazer and was about to undress further, when he heard a phone ringing. Felix excitedly checked his phone, but it wasn’t Jack, and it wasn’t coming from his phone. Actually, it was coming from downstairs. 

LeBlanc without anyone felt creepier than anything Felix had even seen. The yellow wired phone on the edge of the counter was ringing with enough violence for it to lift slightly. He carefully picked it up.

“Hello?” He asked, hesitantly.

“Yo, it’s me.” Felix’s eyebrows drew together, he certainly didn’t remember the voice.

“Who is this?” He asked, still hesitant. He could hear the frustration across the line.

“Sheesh, you forget my voice already? It’s Sakura.” He said, annoyed. Felix let out a breath, letting himself relax. “Anyway, I closed up the shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to Closed.” He nodded to himself, even though he knew Sakura couldn’t see him. “It’s too much of a hassle for me to go back, so you flip the sign for me.” 

Felix turned to look at the door, sure enough Closed was still visible from inside. “You called the public phone?” He asked, distractedly playing with the curly phone cord.

“I’m not in the habit of saving men’s numbers to my cell phone.” He replied. Felix rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, got it.” He agreed, shifting to put the phone back on its hook, but Sakura’s voice stopped him.

“Well, I’m sure no one’s going to come, even if it says Open.” He sounded a little sad, making Felix cock his head to the side in concern. “Thank goodness I was able to reach you. I wasn’t sure if you would answer the phone in the shop. Anyway, I’m leaving you in charge of the door sign.” He finally hung up and Felix was able to put the bright yellow phone down.

The quiet restaurant may have comforted anyone other than him. The empty seats only reminded him of just how alone he was. He peered out of the glass front door.

The Backstreets of Yongen-Jaya were even worse than the inside of the Café. Felix was used to the wide streets in the country. All the buildings stood close together like they were bearing down on him. There was maybe one streetlight out there and it only illuminated so much. The rest was lit up by the nearby shops and LeBlanc itself. Steeling his nerves, Felix pushed the door open.

He quickly flipped the sign and rushed back in and up the stairs to his room. The mess to the one side of the room taunted him as he knew that he had to sleep instead of making a further attempt to clean.

Changing fully into his sleep wear, Felix flopped down on his bed, only to remember that he had to take the train tomorrow. Groaning slightly, he pulled his phone out of his sweatpants pocket, reminding himself that he really shouldn’t put it there, before looking into the route he’d have to take. 

There was only one transfer he’d have to take in Shibuya, but at least he’d been there before. It wasn’t entirely a mystery. 

The accident earlier that day popped up on Felix's newsfeed and caught his eye. He scrolled down to look at it. A lot of people had been hurt; some of them were not expected to recover. However, and more importantly to most people, it looked like the train timetable had been altered to circumnavigate the damage.

Shaking his head, he closed his news app. The weird eye-looking app caught his eye, stopping him from immediately turning his phone off. Felix shook his head and deleted the app again, he let his arm fall and fell asleep almost immediately.

Sakura seemed surprised to see Felix the next morning as he came down in his uniform. “Oh, so you actually are going to school?” Felix made a face, then quickly stopped before Sakura saw it. “Here, I’ll feed you.” He noticed that a plate was already laid out, betraying that Sakura was probably already planning on feeding him. “Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in.” 

"Thank you," Felix smiled approaching the dish, Felix got the distinct smell of spice. “Curry?” He asked without thinking; it was a strange breakfast decision. Sakura glared at Felix but the expression didn’t have much heat.

“What’s that reaction for? Just eat it.” His tone sounded more like someone pretending to be stern; Jack had the same tone when he tried to be the 'responsible twin'.

He hadn’t really had a plan to eat breakfast, but if it was being offered... He sat down to eat, and on the first bite, he froze. Unlike the curry he was used to, it didn’t aggressively burn his mouth with spice. There were other, more complex, flavors hidden in the spice. He ate it as quickly as he could while still being able to enjoy it. He tried to show how much he appreciated it and helped Sakura clean up.

“It’s time for you to go.” Sakura said. It sent a shiver down Felix’s spine. His father had said those same words to him before he left. He shook himself out of it and gave Sakura a small smile.

“That was delicious, thank you so much.” It had been truly amazing, he wouldn’t have traded it for any other breakfast. Sakura smirked, but there was real pride in his eyes at the compliment.

“You're welcome.” He paused, looking a little embarrassed, like he hadn’t expected that from the delinquent. “Hurry over to school. You’ll be late if you get lost on the way.” He pointed out. Felix nodded and made his way out the door.

The Yongen-Jaya station was a little busy, but it wasn’t hard for Felix to get on the subway to Shibuya. He had to hug his bag to his chest to get even the slightest semblance of personal space. There were so many people stuffed into the one car, proving the rumors about Tokyo’s subway true. The LED screens above him were still talking about the accident; it was still affecting the lines. 

Felix was always an anxious person. He didn't like being touched by strangers. In the country, he could go weeks without accidentally touching a stranger. It was different in the big city. There were so. Many. People. A tide of humanity seemed to sweep him away from line transfer to his stop. And honestly, it was a miracle it had been his actual stop, he had been so overwhelmed.

It was almost a relief to exit the station out into the rain. But he quickly realized that he had no umbrella, and if he arrived to school soaking wet, he was sure his homeroom teacher would make him sorry he had ever been born.

Not like the rest of his life wasn't already doing an excellent job of it.

Taking shelter under an awning he pulled up his maps application. Debating if he could make it to school by just running. He scrolled absently but stopped abruptly when he saw the eye icon. It expanded again and Felix sucked in a breath.

Before he could do anything more, he was distracted by someone coming to stand by him. It was a girl, probably his age. She wore a long hoodie that almost completely covered her short skirt. She shook water from her head as she pulled back her hood, to reveal massive blonde pigtails. Felix was impressed she could fit that much hair under her hood. She looked around, noticing him watching her. 

Felix was sure that he looked like a deer in the headlights. 

She smiled distractedly, then looked back towards the road. He felt obligated to say something, but his social anxiety had Felix looking towards the road to see what had caught the girl's attention.

A silver car pulled up to the curb. His eyebrows raised as the window rolled down. A man with a massive chin leaned towards them, it was kind of odd that he was wearing a tracksuit while driving.

“Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re going to be late.” He said kindly. Felix doubted he was talking to him, so he turned to look at the girl.

“Um, sure. Thank you.” She said, softly, but like she knew the man. His eyes fell to Felix as she approached to get in.

“Do you need a lift too?” He asked, surprising him further. Anxious as always, Felix waved him off.

“N-nah, thanks though...” He said, sounding foreign to even himself. Though, as soon as the girl strapped in he regretted his decision. The look on her face had despair all over it. It made her look like a completely different person than the one who had had such a friendly smile for a stranger like him. Felix started moving, but the car drove away, just as a young man ran past him.

“Dammit!” He exclaimed as it drove away. “Screw that pervy teacher.” He said angrily. Felix watched him, head tilted slightly.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

"Kamoshida." Sae interrupted, forcing Felix back into the present. "Are you saying he was your first victim?"

"I was getting there. Let me finish, I didn't even mention him yet." Felix's filters must all be down; some combination of drugs and exhaustion.

Sae made a face. "The psychotic breakdown incidents were occurring long before that, including the terrible subway incident."

Felix gestured at her vaguely. "You're a detective or something, shouldn't that tell you something?"

Sae gave him a hard, calculating look. Then, realizing he was waiting for permission to continue, said, "alright then. Go on."

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“Pervy teacher?” He echoed the angry boy. His phone made a noise, but the other boy turned back to face him just then. He was obviously a Shujin student, the blazer and plaid pants giving him away. He wasn’t wearing the shirt though. The shirt he was wearing was only barely a brighter yellow than his hair.

He walked up to Felix, looking annoyed. Felix had to fight not to shy away.

“What d’you want? You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?” Felix blinked. He had no idea who that was, but got the feeling that he should.

“Who's Kamoshida?” Was all he managed to blurt out, hoping that the question would keep the loud, angry dandelion in front of him from getting angrier.

“Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida.” He explained. Ah, the one with the chin. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is-- the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?” 

“The King of a castle?” Felix continued his parrot routine. It sounded a little ridiculous, but the way the loud boy said it... It sounded like he really believed it.

“Wait. You don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real?” He stepped even closer and this time Felix did take a step back. “You’re from Shujin, right?”

“Well I mean, kinda?” Felix replied quietly. He didn’t really feel like explaining the whole Criminal Record thing to him just then. 

“You messin’ with me?” He asked, getting even more agitated. Felix looked away. “You’re wearing a Shujin uniform.” He looked a little closer at Felix’s badge. “A second-year, huh. We’re in the same grade then.” He paused, examining Felix's face as he tried to hide behind his hair and glasses. “Never seen you before though...” He thought for a moment. Before charging on with this one-sided conversation.

“Oh, you a transfer student?” Felix flinched but nodded, terrified that everyone already had him labeled. “Then no wonder you don’t know ‘im.” His anger dissipating.

“This rain ain’t too bad, we better hurry up or we’ll be late.” The angry boy motioned for Felix to follow him. It was... almost friendly. Before they had gone more than a few steps, Felix staggered; a sudden lightheadedness overtaking him.

The loud boy groaned. “My head hurts.” He complained, looking up into the rain. “Dammit, I wanna go home.” regardless, he kept heading towards the school. Felix followed slipping his phone into his pocket. 

Loud boy led Felix into a narrow alley in what he had to assume was in the direction of the school. He should feel anxious, following a strange boy into a cramped passage. Felix found that the loud boy didn't seem like a threat to him.

The boys rounded a corner, to find… a castle. An honest to god, drawbridge having, buttress flying, moat guarded, castle; where he could have sworn the school had been moments earlier. The parapets were gold and it towered well above the both of them. The sky behind it was a deep purple and it had stopped raining.

Felix took his glasses off to clean them, just in case doing so would break him out of this hallucinogenic nightmare. The loud boy was taking it surprisingly well.

“Did we…” He started, turning to look at the passageway they had taken. Felix pushed his glasses back on and turned to him, then to the passage. “Come the wrong way…?” He trailed off, turning to look back at the castle.

"I didn't see a castle nearby when I toured the school yesterday," Felix muttered, mostly to himself.

“Yeah, there uh, isn't one. This... should be right.” He said, looking at the plaque. “What’s goin’ on here?” He asked, turning to Felix as if he had a clue. He looked back at the blonde, shaking his head. “I guess we’ll just have to go in and ask.”

"What?" Felix sputtered. But loud boy was already walking towards the front gate; and since Felix didn't have any better ideas, he followed. The wooden drawbridge was just as wet as everywhere else, and Felix almost slipped as they crossed it, but they made their way inside just fine.

The... foyer? Of the castle was just as grand as the outside, several chandeliers hung from an ornate ceiling and a crimson carpet covered the floor. A massive circular staircase a la beauty and the beast took up the entire far wall. The tapestry or drapes or whatever that covered the golden walls were the same red color as the carpet.

It was the gaudiest, tackiest place Felix had ever seen, and he immediately started scanning around for things he could steal.

“Th-that’s weird...” The blonde said in confusion, looking around. “Where’s the school?” He asked again, apparently certain that the school would appear as soon as he entered the castle.

“Did we make a wrong turn?” Felix wondered aloud, again mostly to himself. The loud boy turned around.

“N-no! This has to be it!” He contended, less angry than before, more scared? He had no idea. “I mean, it...” He let out a stressed breath. “Should be...” He trailed off again. He ran a hand through his bright yellow hair and took out his phone.

“Out of service?” His eyebrows pulled together. “Where’d we end up?” The question wasn’t directed at Felix, but he felt the need to answer it.

"How could this be the school?" Felix asked.

“The school's plaque was on the front," loud boy said, faintly. "At least... I thought it was...” He continued.

Felix honestly hadn’t been paying full attention. But both teens attention snapped towards the sound of clanking armor rapidly marching towards them. Approaching them was the owner of the armor, sword and shield in hand. 

“Geez, you freaked me out...” The boy addressed the suit of armor like they were old friends. Felix took a step back. It didn’t look friendly. “Who’re you? You a student?” the loud boy approached the guy, with apparently no idea who they were.

Felix shot him a look but the boy wasn't looking at him. Seeing him so calm, eased some of Felix’s anxiety. He slipped his hands back into his pockets, his relaxed stance where he could feel his lockpicks. He shouldn't have brought them to school, but they were Jack's and he needed his twin's strength at his new school. He didn't expect to need it this much though.

“Is that armor real?” the Loud Boy squinted at the obviously very real armor in front of him. The two of them were so focused on the suit of armor, that they didn’t notice the second suit approaching until it was flanking the first one. The loud boy took a step back.

“H-hey! What’s goin’ on?” Felix didn’t like the look of the two of them, both equipped with swords and shields. He clutched his lockpicks tighter.

“Something tells me that they’re not school staff...” Felix said quietly. The figure's eyes were... wrong. Too bright for how shadowed their faces were. The loud boy looked back at Felix, just as the first suit of armor made a move towards him.

“This shit’s real...” He said, startling backwards, away from the figures. The other suit moved forward to join the first. “We gotta run!”

Felix felt as if his feet were turning to stone. He was so confused. He was having a hard time catching his breath. Somewhere in the back of his head, a voice was whispering for him to fight. But Felix didn't fight. Fighting is what got him into this mess.

“Stop standin’ around and run!” the Loud Boy yelled, grabbing Felix's hand, pulling him back the way they'd come. They were immediately stopped by two more suits of armor with unnerving eyes. The Loud Boy grunted in annoyance. “What’s with these guys?!” He was watching the one to their left, which left him wide open for the one on the right to shove him with his shield. He went down like a sack of bricks and took Felix down with him.

“Y-you’re gonna break something, dammit!” He managed to get out, obviously in pain. “The hell do you think you’re-” he cut himself off with another grunt of pain, clutching at his left leg.

The rest was a blur, it was four against two and the blond boy was somehow already injured. Cold metal hands grabbed Felix and gripped him tight, hauling him up till his feet dangled off the floor. He saw the blond boy getting much the same treatment, his face white with pain. 

“Take them away.” One of them ordered before Felix passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little later than I wanted it to be, but here it is! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good day!


	4. Dank Dungeons (and not in the fun way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awakening in a cell is not on my bucket list, nor is it on Felix's but he's done it at least twice.

“...Hey.” A somewhat familiar voice pulled at Felix, he could feel that he was on the brink of waking up, he was about to let himself go back to sleep. “Hey! Wake up!” The voice became more urgent. Felix’s head hurt, but he opened his eyes. He was met with deep brown eyes and spiky yellow hair. He sat up with some effort and held a hand to his head. He could tell he had been resting on the frames of his glasses by the pain on his nose and temple. 

Looking up he saw that they were in what looked like a medieval dungeon. _I’ve spent way too much time behind bars in the past few days,_ Felix thought, annoyed. He glared at the brick walls, getting his bearings.

“You all right?” the Loud Boy asked, crouching next to him. Looking at him, Felix thought about the pained look he had had when the first guy had pushed him down. Unless Felix missed his guess, loud, blond, and angry was no stranger to that pain.

“Yes. You?” He asked.

The boy stood, rotating his arm and holding his shoulder. He looked about as tough as you could in a jail cell. Maybe Felix had been wrong.

“Yeah, more or less.” He looked away from Felix and around their cell. “Looks like this ain’t no dream.” He said with finality. Felix looked towards the bars and nodded, thinking about how the last cell he’d been in had been much nicer. The Loud Boy made a frustrated noise. “What’s goin’ on?!” He didn’t let Felix come up with an answer before he dashed towards the door and started banging on it.

“Hey! Let us outta here!” He called out to the empty room beyond. “Let us out!" 

Felix was unsure of what to do. Telling him to calm down seemed like the wrong move.

“Dammit,” loud boy gave the bars a final punch before resting his head against them. He seemed to only lose steam for a second. “Where are we?! Is this some kind of TV set?!” He growled, letting go of the bars, pacing the short length of their cell. Felix frowned.

"I don't think any tv show has the budget for this kind of set--" Felix started but was interrupted by the sound of several distant screams. Felix stood up and they both ran towards the door.

“The h-hell was that?” the Loud Boy stuttered. He sounded more scared than Felix had seen him be so far. They pressed their faces into the bars and looked as far out into the corridor beyond as they could. The screaming resumed, and the loud boy tensed beside Felix.

“Whoa... whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.” The whoas came out faster the more he said them.

"How far away do you think--" Felix squeaked in an embarrassingly small voice, cut off by Loud Boy.

“This is real bad.” He stated before turning around to look around the cell more. “Isn’t there some way outta here?! C’mon we gotta do something!” Felix looked around, this time trying to find a feasible way out. Loud Boy looked around at the barrels, shooting down his own suggestion of hiding in them to trick the guards.

Loud Boy made a noise like he was going to say more but the stomping of heavy footsteps drew both of their eyes to the cell door. Two guards approached.

“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon.” One said, standing at the door to their cell. “Your charge is 'unlawful entry'.” He knew from experience that that wasn’t the worst thing to be charged with and was going to let out a sigh. “Thus, you will be sentenced to death.”

Felix choked on his sigh of relief.

“Say what?!” Loud Boy shouted as Felix sputtered.

“No one’s allowed to do as they please in my castle.” A new voice came from further down the corridor. A man wearing a crown stepped into view. He wore the crown and a fluffy poncho with hearts on, and precious little else.

“Huh? Wait...” Loud Boy squinted at the caped man, recognition showing in his eyes. “Is that you, Kamoshida?” He asked, a little unsure. Felix blinked.

“Kamoshida?” Sure enough, the guy in the weird cape--and Felix prayed he was wearing something, anything underneath it--had a very recognizable chin.

“I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it’d be you, Sakamoto.” Kamoshida spoke with a familiarity that caught Felix's attention. “Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?” The smirk on Kamoshida’s face took an inhuman curl, his face twisting with dark mirth. Felix looked from the newly-identified Sakamoto to Kamoshida, and back, until Kamoshida's unsettling gaze turned towards him.

“And you brought a friend this time... because you can’t do anything yourself,” Kamoshida chuckled in a mocking tone. Felix found himself wanting to defend Sakamoto. He didn't know the kid very well, but there was no reason for this guy to talk about him like that. He didn’t really have an idea of how to do so.

Bristling at the insult, Sakamoto slammed into the bars to get at the caped jackass.

“This ain’t funny, you asshole!” He yelled. Felix would have been impressed at his bravery, if he wasn't certain it was dangerously close to the line between bravery and stupidity. Backtalk only made Kamoshida angry.

“Is that how you speak to a king?!” He demanded, voice booming in the small space. Felix flinched, but took courage from Sakamoto's defiance and didn't back away from the bars. “It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all.” Kamoshida seemed to regain his cool. “Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me-- the King!” 

Kamoshida moved his arm to brush his chin smugly. Felix held in a shriek, but it turned out that he was, thankfully, wearing something under his weird poncho cape. The something was a tiny speedo, but it was better than nothing. “The punishment for that is death.”

“Take Sakamoto out!” Both Felix and Sakamoto backed away from the bars. Sakamoto looked as scared as Felix felt.

"N-no!" Felix tried, but it was quiet and a little pathetic.

The guards stomped inside, cornering Sakamoto faster than Felix could blink, pushing him out of the way. He'd never felt so helpless. He had to do something! “Goddammit...” Felix barely heard him. He sounded so scared, it broke Felix's heart.

Felix watched him in horror, but Sakamoto bull rushed the one next to him, knocking him over. He turned to Felix, angry as always.

“C’mon, we’re outta here!” Neither of them had time to run before the guard in the corner hit Sakamoto solidly in the stomach. He staggered back, curling in on himself as he fell to his knees. Felix finally unfroze and tried to get past the guards to him.

“Just go!” Sakamoto called from the floor. “Get outta here! These guys are serious.” He ordered, obviously in pain, but still trying to look out for the random dude he had just met. Felix was not about to leave him.

"I can't just--" Felix started but Kamoshida cut him off with a derisive noise.

“Oh? Running away, are we?” Kamoshida spoke again, glaring at him. “What a heartless friend you are.”

“He ain’t a friend.” Sakamoto said harshly. Felix’s frown deepened. “C’mon hurry up and go!” He yelled again, but, for some reason, being denied as a friend made Felix want to stay more. _See if I don’t become your friend if we both survive this,_ he thought as he held his ground.

“Pathetic scum isn’t worth my time,” he hmphed, turning back to Sakamoto.

“I’ll focus on this one’s execution.” Kamoshida approached him, having two of the guards lift him. Felix pulled at the guards on Sakamoto, only to be met with the blade of another guard’s sword to his throat. He stopped, completely useless again. 

Kamoshida hit Sakamoto. Then he hit him again, and again, yelling abuse the whole time. He just kept hitting him until he fell out of the grasp of the guards. Felix opened his mouth to shout, but was aggressively reminded of the sword at his throat.

“Where’d your energy from earlier go?” Kamoshida asked as he let a guard lift Sakamoto again. “A peasant like you isn’t worth beating.” He said, letting the guard throw him. In spite of the of the sword he felt as his throat, Felix itched to move forward. He wasn’t sure where all this... bravery came from.

“I’ll have you killed right now.” The sword dropped from Felix and he stepped forward.

“Stop it!” He yelled, wishing he had done so earlier. Kamoshida turned on him, his inhuman face twisting again.

“What? Don’t you know who I am.” He took steps until he was right in front of Felix. He had to fight to not step back, not to show fear.

“That look in your eyes irritates me!” he said as he kicked Felix directly in the solar plexus. He stumbled and hit the cell wall. “Hold him there.” He ordered, turning back to Sakamoto. “After the peasant, it’s his turn to die.”

A spur of energy had Felix stumbling forward, but two guards took him by the shoulders and pressed him back against the wall. Kamoshida cackled and Sakamoto looked up, staring defiantly at his captor.

_This is truly an unjust game_. A soft, feminine voice whispered, as the world slowed down and turned a deep blue. _Your chances of winning are almost none._ A white butterfly moved into Felix’s vision. _But if my voice is reaching you..._ she continued, _there may yet be a possibility open to you…_

**What’s the matter?** An entirely new voice spoke as the color returned to normal. **Are you simply going to watch?** Felix looked around for a source to the voice. **Are you forsaking him to save yourself?** He struggled against the metal hands that held him to the wall. **Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?** Images of the woman and the man that sued him flashed into Felix’s head and he shook it violently.

_It wasn’t._ He told the voice resolutely. His view was unclouded and he saw Sakamoto being lifted by his throat, the guard angling a sword towards him. No. He didn't let it happen last time, and he wouldn't let it happen now. Felix struggled further against the hands holding him.

**Very well... I have heeded your resolve.** Immediately, pain coursed through Felix’s body. He screamed openly. **Vow to me.**

**I am thou, thou art I...** the voice intoned, the pain didn’t stop, in fact it increased. He writhed. **Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own Justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage!** The pain was reaching an unbearable level. He thought he couldn't speak his own name, much less this deranged voice in his head.

**Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!** The pain finally stopped and Felix looked up, no longer feeling like himself. He felt… powerful.

“Execute him!” Kamoshida ordered when Felix was finally zoned back in.

“That’s enough!” Felix yelled, surprising everyone in the room, including himself. Kamoshida and the guard holding Sakamoto up turned to look at him.

“What was that?” Kamoshida said, dangerously quiet. The guard finally let Sakamoto down and he slumped against the wall, taking ragged breaths. 

“Want to die first that much?” Kamoshida’s horrible yellow eyes were once again on Felix, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Fine!” He said with a grin. The soldier next to Felix hit him in the face, knocking his glasses off.

It took the other two guards only a second to have spears crossed and under Felix’s neck. Sakamoto trembled, like he was going to rush forward again, but his legs buckled and he fell against the wall again. The third soldier raised his sword angled and ready to chop Felix’s head off.

A powerful gust of wind interrupted the whole thing, making Kamoshida cover his face and the sword holding soldier had to take a step back. When Felix lifted his head again, a white mask sat on his face where his glasses used to be. Lifting his hands up to feel it, he had the unstoppable urge to rip it off.

Which he did.

It hurt like a bitch and a half but he couldn’t stop himself. As soon as it was fully off he could feel blood streaming down his face. He grinned when he stared down Kamoshida. Then blue fire engulfed him. Felix could feel it, but it didn’t hurt. 

“Wha... What the...?” Sakamoto breathed in horror, still pressed against the wall.

**“I am the pillager of twilight- “Arsene”!”** The same voice that had called out to Felix spoke, this time it felt like he was actually hearing it instead of it being in his head. He didn’t need to look up, he knew what it looked like. It was like flame incarnate, but if flame had wings and a fashion sense. Cooley, Felix adjusted the red gloves that had only just appeared on his hands. 

Sakamoto looked like his eyes were going to bulge out of his head. “What the...?” He trailed off, looking between Felix and Arsene. 

**“I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you.”** Arsene had a face of fire that Felix recognized from the day he first noticed the weird eyeball app on his phone. **“If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.”**

“Give me your power.” Felix agreed without hesitation. His eyes darted away from Arsene to where Sakamoto lay on the floor. He stared back, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe. Felix was done with seeing people get hurt without being able to do anything about it. And it had awakened something within him. Something powerful.

**“Very well.”** The newly dubbed Arsene responded haughtily. 

“Who the hell are you?!” Kamoshida drew their attention. Felix had been certain he had crawled away; under a rock or something equally cowardly. He ordered his guards up again, and demanded that they kill Felix. 

Felix had never been in an actual fight, so he should have been daunted.

**“Detest your enemies!”** Arsene demanded, **“Change that animosity into power and unleash it!”** He ordered. Felix glared at the clanking metal enemies. His life had been one mistake after the other. He was miles away from home, separated from his brother, and now he was late to his first day of school. Felix had never been so pissed off; and now, with these bastards in his way, he finally had someone to take it out on.

Felix lashed out and Arsene mirrored his actions. As soon as the blue fire hit the enemy, they transformed into even stranger monsters. They were floating like Arsene like some sort of spirits. It wasn't any weirder than anything else that had happened in the last couple of minutes, so Felix just rolled with it.

Arsene and Felix were one. Relying on instincts, both his and Arsene's, Felix fought the spirits off. As he landed blow after magical blow, the spirit would disintegrate into black ash and sludge. One of the spirits made it through Arsene's defense and struck Felix across the chest. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but nothing made it past the absolute rage Felix was fighting with.

Arsene crouched down closer to him from the position he had taken behind Felix. 

**“Swing your blade!”** The order made him aware of the dagger that he now clutched in his hand. He wasn’t sure how it got there, but it allowed him payback on the spirit that had hit him. He struck it, adding a spin to hit it a couple of times. It was dramatic, but it felt right.

The spirit slumped over, still alive. It tried to muster enough energy to hit Felix again, earning itself another slash. This time it disintegrated.

With the danger gone, Sakamoto spoke up again, obviously trying to wrap his head around what had just happened in front of him.

“What...” His surprised murmur drew Felix’s attention, making him realize two things. One, Sakamoto looked like his eyes were going to bulge out of his head. Two, was Felix himself wasn’t in his uniform anymore. He now wore a black high collared coat over a gray high necked vest. He had registered the red gloves, but hadn’t really looked at them. Everything fit him… magically. Even the large cuffs on the sleeves of his coat.

“What… was that just now?” Sakamoto wondered aloud. Felix opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Kamoshida.

“You little!” He growled, approaching Felix despite him just dispatching his guards a few seconds ago, without much trouble. Felix braced for another fight.

Sakamoto had other ideas, bull rushing Kamoshida while his attention was stuck on Felix. 

“You like that you son of a bitch?!” He yelled. Felix noticed the key ring that now lay on the floor. Trying not to think about where Kamoshida could have possibly been keeping those, he swiped them. Then pulled Sakamoto with him as he exited the cell, locking it behind them.

“Damn you!” Kamoshida growled again, lifting himself up.

“Hey!” Sakamoto turned to Felix despite the shouting Kamoshida. “What was that just now!?” Despite his angry tone, he looked more confused than anything. “And... your clothes?” He gestured to Felix's new outfit, baffled. Felix was about to answer, when Sakamoto backed away slightly.

“Whoa it went back to normal!” Felix looked down. Sure enough, his school uniform was back.

“You bastards!” Kamoshida banged on the bars, startling the both of them.

“God, this is effin’ nuts!” Sakamoto scratched the back of his head, heaving out a breath. “Anyways, let’s scram! You lead the way!” He ordered before throwing the keys as hard as he could in the opposite direction. Felix turned on his heel and ran away from the cell.

Kamoshida started barking orders behind them, calling them thieves and demanding that his guards keep them from escaping. Felix looked behind him in time to see Sakamoto flip the King off. Nothing seemed to dampen his fire, even with all the weird stuff that was happening.

They quickly reached another locked door, that Felix rammed with his shoulder. It didn’t budge… ow.

“Really wishing we hadn’t thrown those keys.” Felix, grimaced as he rubbed his skinny shoulder.

“We’re goin’ to have to find another way through.” Sakamoto replied, looking around. There was a broken bridge nearby, that once stretched across the river that flowed through the dungeon. Because if there was a castle where a school was supposed to be, then there may as well be a river in the dungeon.

Not seeing any other way across, Felix looked at Sakamoto, shrugged and jumped.

And he totally would have made it too, if he had had any athletic talent. As it was, his right foot landed on dry ground, and the other slipped and he started to fall. But then Sakamoto was there, pulling him back up. He had followed him across and his lightning-fast reflexes had just saved Felix from a watery grave, and now held him close.

As nice as the impromptu hug was, it was sorta not the time for it. He let go of Sakamoto's hand and stepped away, totally not blushing at all.

"Uh, thanks." He muttered.

"Don't sweat it," Sakamoto leaned back casually swinging his arms behind his head. "You saved my ass back in the cell so…"

"We're even?" Felix asked. Sakamoto snorted.

"Yeah, me helping you when you trip like an old man makes up for you sprouting wings of fire and kicking my gym teacher's ass." He shook his head. "I'm Ryuji by the way, Ryuji Sakamoto."

"Felix," Felix replied, offering his hand to shake. "Felix Gambit." He had to fight the reflex to steal Ryuji's watch, which is what he usually did when he shook hands with someone. Luckily Ryuji didn't even have a watch.

"Really?" Ryuji raised one eyebrow. "That's a name?"

Felix didn't answer, just turned to continue their escape.

The boys continued through the dungeon, crossing the river again, creeping over rickety wooden bridges, crawl spaces, and almost running directly into guards a few times.

“Hold up!” Ryuji called, pulling Felix back. “Look!” The exit that they had been heading for had two guards in front of it. “We should probably go the other way.” He pointed across the river to the other exit. 

“Good call.” Felix whispered, nodding. They crossed an old drawbridge towards more cells and what was hopefully their escape. Felix stopped Ryuji this time, pulling him into a crouch behind some convenient barrels and crates. The guards had started mobilizing. 

“They’re lookin’ for us, right?” Ryuji said, probably as quietly as he could, which seemed like normal speaking volume to Felix. “We _gotta_ find a way out of this goddamn place.” Felix nodded, sick of the dungeons and the constant sound of rushing water. He had to pee.

“Let’s hope this is the way out then.” Felix replied, standing and heading towards the exit. It seemed like their luck was finally turning around, because the hallway did lead to stairs. 

They started quickly up them. Ryuji ran out of breath quickly, surprising Felix. The way he had caught Felix earlier, he had had Ryuji pegged as a sporty guy. He panted next to Felix as they reached the landing.

“I-is this...” Ryuji tried to catch his breath. “The exit? Let’s get the hell out of here!” They pushed open the door to find…

Even more dungeon. Felix’s shoulders slumped.

“You gotta be jokin’...” Ryuji said, sounding just as defeated as Felix felt. “The hell is this place?!”  
Pressing his lips together in a thin line, Felix looked down the corridor. More cells lined the walls, but as they got closer they saw that there were also people hanging from cages just above the river.

"Ryuji…" Felix tapped him on the shoulder and pointed.

“We really did hear people screamin’...” Ryuji sounded a little ill. They moved closer to the guy who was reaching through the bars. “Is... uh, is he okay?”

Neither of them could reach the cages from where they stood, so they continued on. The closer they got to a raised drawbridge the more prisoners they saw. The more they saw, the more uneasy Felix got. They reached the end of the row of cells, with no more idea of where to go then they had had at the beginning.

“Dammit! How the hell’re we supposed to get out of here?!” Ryuji growled, kicking the dirt beneath him. 

“Hey, you there.” A new voice called out from nearby. Felix looked around, trying to find out where from. “Blondie! Mop top! Over here!” It called again. Finally, his eyes fell to the last cell… then down further. Ryuji followed his gaze.

“What is that?!” Ryuji exclaimed, insensitively. The thing holding onto the bars looked like a distorted cat plushie. It was cute, little yellow bandana around its neck.

“You’re not soldiers are you? Get me out of here!” It pleaded. “The key’s right there!”

“We’re tryin to get the hell out of here!” He snapped. Felix checked around to make sure they weren’t drawing attention to themselves. “You could be one of them!" Ryuji explained, a little irrationally.

“I’m locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!” It called.

“Quiet down.” Felix whispered. He didn’t like how long they were out in the open. The creature seemed to get more desperate.

“I’m begging you; you have to help me!” It rattled the bars, making noise, but not enough to mask the sound of heavy metal footsteps coming down towards them.

“They’re catchin’ up already!” Ryuji looked around, even taking out his phone, only to realize they still didn’t have service. He pulled at his short hair in annoyance. “How the hell do we get out?!” The creature’s ears pricked up.

“You want to know where the exit is?” Felix nodded at the living plushie. “Let me out and I’ll take you there.” At their blank looks, it continued, a little desperately. “You don’t want to be caught and executed, right?” 

“Can you really help us?” Felix asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

“I never go back on my word!” The creature protested. Felix didn't like leaving another creature locked up when he could help.

Ryuji looked like he wanted to argue more, but Felix moved in and unlocked the cell with the key. It pranced out, enjoying its new freedom.

“Where’s the exit, monster cat?!” Ryuji asked impatiently.

“I’m not a cat! I’m Morgana!” It snapped back.

“Stop arguing, we have to get out of here.” Felix said, interrupting Ryuji’s probably rude remark.

“A-all right.” Morgana said, looking back at him. “Follow me, and stay quiet!” It ordered before it ran past them. Ryuji was right on its tail, making Felix take up the rear.

They stopped at the drawbridge in front of what looked like a stone bust of Kamoshida. It made them grimace.

“What’re-” Ryuji started, but Morgana ignored him and turned to Felix.

“Hey mop-top. You seem smarter than this guy. Could you pull the jaw of this statue for me?” They asked, attention elsewhere. They seemed to be watching the group's 6, so to speak. 

“How were we supposed to know that?!” Sakamoto exclaimed, his eyes widening when he looked at Felix.

“Hmph, amateur-” Morgana scoffed but Felix interrupted them both, pulling on the statue's jaw.

"No time, gotta go," He urged Ryuji and Morgana to continue across the bridge before the guards caught up to them. 

However, that’s when they ran into a guard. Ryuji stumbled backwards into Felix as the latter felt the odd feeling of his clothing changing.

“You amateur!” Morgana called Ryuji again. Felix squinted down at them, a little annoyed at their constant degrading of his new friend. “Hey, you!” It pointed at Felix. When it did, Felix saw the true panic in the creature's eyes. They were scared. “You can fight, right? Let’s go!” They leaped forward again, a green flame rising behind them. The flame gave way to a tall man, with a rapier in hand and a billowing cape behind him.

“Y-you got one of those things too?!” Ryuji yelled. Felix didn’t have time to process that, as the guard’s body melted into two beasts, a pumpkin thing he'd fought before, and... and a devil with... Felix looked away from it immediately, focusing on the first spirit.

“Damn shadows. They’re really serious on killing us!” Morgana pointed out needlessly. Felix was pretty sure he had guessed that already. “I’ll back you up!” Felix looked down at them, vaguely annoyed.

“Aren’t you the one with more experience?!” He asked, already summoning Arsene. He cursed the devil while staunchly not looking at it.

“Pff, you really are an amateur.” they complained, knocking the pumpkin spirit over before it could reach Felix, and finishing off the devil. The knocked over spirit retaliated by hitting Morgana, but Felix was able to kill it with a well-placed knife blow.

“Not bad. Your Persona’s pretty powerful.” Morgana complimented him. They seemed to calm down a little, and Felix realized that Morgana wasn't just worried for their own safety, they had been worried about Felix too. After seeing that he could take care of himself, Morgana could apparently start to relax. 

“Persona?” he and Ryuji asked in unison.

“That thing that come outta you guys all dramatic-like?” Ryuji waved his hands to illustrate _drama_ as he came up next to them.

“I’m guessing you saw mop top rip his mask off when it first appeared, right?” When they both nodded, Morgana continued. “Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that-”  
They were interrupted by Felix’s outfit dropping back into the school uniform.

“…It looks like you don’t have full control of your power yet. Transformations don’t usually dissolve like that.” Felix looked down at himself and flexed his fingers slightly. Control... he didn’t have any of that anymore.

“None of this crap makes any sense!” Ryuji pulled at his spiky hair again, obviously frustrated.

“Can’t you just sit still and listen Blondie?!” Morgana yelled at him. Felix frowned. For a critter so concerned with their safety, they sure did yell at them a lot. Ryuji stomped forward.

“Don’t call me Blondie! My name’s Ryuji...” Felix would have introduced himself to Morgana as well, he was tired of being called mop top; but Morgana forged ahead.

“Actually, there’s no time for me to lecture you! You want to escape this place in one piece, right? It’s not much farther to the exit.” Too tired to argue, Felix ran into the next cell block. They past doors and cells on the way but Morgana demanded they go to the next drawbridge.

Once there, Ryuji stopped them.

“I feel like I’ve seen what this dude’s wearin’ before...” He said, approaching the cell to their left. Looking at the guy on the floor longer. After a moment, he shook his head, obviously frustrated. “Dammit! I’m too flustered! I can’t remember a damn thing!”

“Come on, let’s go!” Morgana demanded, eyes darting around.

"But--" Felix felt bad for whomever was in that cell, but Morgana angrily interrupted again.

“Do you really think you have enough time to worry about other people right now?!” They growled. If cats could sweat, this one would be drenched.

“We need to-” Felix started, going to promise Ryuji that they’d find a way to come back, but the drawbridge fell and a soldier started after them. 

“You should have listened to me.” Morgana muttered, dismayed. 

The soldier exterior melted into what looked like a fairy, and Felix felt his clothes change again. He and Morgana made short work of the spirits. Felix was starting to get the hang of this "persona" thing. His cloak disappeared again.

“We can’t just leave them here.” Ryuji demanded immediately, picking up right where they had left off in their argument. Morgana sighed, irritated. 

“You really don’t get it…" Morgana struggled with their words. "Hrgh there’s no time to explain. Look, I’m going. If you don’t want to follow, be my guest.” They said exasperated, before dashing away.

“Dammit...” Ryuji sent another look to the person lying on the floor. Felix put a hand on his shoulder, offering him an understanding look. “I’m coming.” He muttered, and the two of them raced after Morgana. 

They got back to the entrance hall, but the doors Felix and Ryuji had entered through earlier were closed. Morgana didn't even look at the door, instead leading them to another hallway, and through a smaller door.

Through the door… Was a room. It was just a regular room. Felix’s eyebrows raised of their own accord. After the seemingly endless hallways and corridors of castle brick, the normal-ass room was a bit of a shock.

“Where are we supposed to go from here?! There aren’t even any windows.” Ryuji pointed out, looking around. 

“Ugh, amateur...” Morgana sighed. Felix stopped looking around to look at the plush toy of a person, they really liked using that word. “This is the most basic of basics.” He then looked up and squinted.

“A ventilation shaft?” Felix suggested.

“That’s right! As I thought, you’re a natural at this.” Morgana hopped a little in excitement. Felix wasn’t happy with how Morgana kept making them guess instead of just taking them out of there. “It leads all the way outside.” 

“Then all we gotta do is take the mesh off!” Ryuji said, climbing up the shelves with only some trouble. “A one and a-” Ryuji hooked his finger through some of the mesh and yanked.

The mesh yielded faster than either of them had been expecting, making Ryuji fall back onto the floor. Felix only half caught him, and the two of them landed in a heap.

“Oww.” He groaned as he picked himself up, offering his hand to Felix. “Crap! The enemy didn’t hear us, did they?” When no footsteps were heard he grinned at Felix. “We’re finally gettin’ outta here!”

Felix was a little dazzled by his carefree grin, but took his hand and stood up.

“You should wait on celebrating until you actually leave.” Morgana pointed out. “Now get going!” They turned towards the door they came in.

“What about you?” Ryuji asked.

“There’s something I still have to do. We’re going our separate ways.” Morgana said, almost at the door. 

“Thanks.” Felix said. The critter was abrasive, but he sensed that it was just a tough front.

“You’ve got manners.” They said a little softer, turning slightly. “Be careful on your way.”

Ryuji took that as goodbye and leaped up the bookshelves. Felix followed him, a little nervously. At least there wasn't a river to fall into this time. Even if there was, Felix was sure Ryuji would manage to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing is fun, right? I'm not uploading consistently, but that's fine for now. I'm not doing a Summer semester so this should be easier?


	5. Jack In the Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escaping the castle starts to feel like a dream... was it?

They ran out and eventually they stopped. Ryuji hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

“Did we make it?” Felix was about to respond when his phone buzzed twice.

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome Back.” A robotic voice said clearly. Ryuji and Felix shared a look.

“Returned?” He asked, looking confused. “Does that mean we got away?” He continued, wide deep brown eyes on Felix.

“I think so...” He said, looking around at the world. There wasn’t a purple sky anymore. Ryuji sighed, sounding tired.

“I dunno what to think anymore.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “The hell’s goin’ on?!” His yelling attracted two police officers, making Felix hide behind his hair and glasses.

“What’s with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin?” The shorter one asked aggressively. “Cutting classes, are we?”

“Huh? No! We were tryin’ to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!” Felix tried to hide further behind his hair, Ryuji was not helping their case.

“What?” The aggressive officer looked confused. “Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs.” Felix would have preferred to stay in the castle if it meant not dealing with police again.

“Why would you think that?!” Ryuji yelled, his temper flaring.

“Are you his friend?” The taller officer asked, more gentle than the other. Felix swallowed.

“Something like that.” He mumbled. Ryuji had already violently denied that earlier, so he didn’t feel like trying to change his mind.

“Then you should go to school. Take him with you.” He ordered. Felix nodded as Ryuji started yelling again.

“I don’t know what’s goin’ on either!”

“We passed by Shujin on our way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it.” The aggressive one said, annoyed still. “If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll contact your school. Is that what you want?” That made Ryuji look uncomfortable, he turned to Felix, his brown eyes pleading with him to say something.

“Let’s get going.” He said softly, though it made Ryuji look a little disappointed, but Felix couldn’t stand being there for a second longer so he turned to walk towards the school. They walked the same way that they had earlier, but this time the actual school lay in front of them.

“But we...” Ryuji did a full 360 to look around. “What’s goin’ on here?!” He said in frustration.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.” A man in a suit stepped towards the top of the stairs. Felix could see Ryuji slump further down when he appeared, obviously someone he knew. “We received a call from the police.”

“That damn cop snitched on us after all!” Ryuji growled, low enough that Felix hoped the man couldn’t hear him.

“It’s rare not to see you alone.” The man added, eyes on Felix. “Where were you roaming around until this time?”

“Uhh... a ca-” He started. Felix looked at him sharply, hoping that he remembered what the cops had thought when he had told them where they had been.

“So you have no intention of giving an answer?” The man probed further but was interrupted by a new person.

“What’s this?” The voice felt familiar, but not in a friendly way. Then the owner of the voice walked up and every muscle in Felix’s body tensed at once.

“Kamoshida?!” Ryuji exclaimed, just as shocked to see him here. Thankfully with actual clothes on.

“You seem so carefree, Sakamoto.” He said, a lot calmer than the one they had met earlier. “Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team.”

Somehow, Ryuji was still rearing for a fight.

“Shaddup! It’s your fault that-”

“How dare you speak that way to Kamoshida!” The suited man defended him. “There’s not much leeway left for you, you know?” He sighed, looking tired.

“He’s the one that provoked me!” Ryuji yelled in his defense.

“Do you really want to be expelled?!” The man in the suit retorted. Felix flinched, even though he knew that that comment hadn’t been directed at him. “In any case, you’ll have to explain yourself! Follow me.”

“What?! This is bullshit!” Ryuji sounded angry, but also desperate.

“Come now. I should have been more considerate, too. Let’s just say that we’re both to blame.” Kamoshida swooped in. He was so different from whatever they had seen of him in the castle... Felix’s head hurt, protesting from him thinking too much.

“Well, if you say so...” The man acquiesced. “Still, you’re coming with me. It’s undeniable that you’re extremely late.” He ordered. Ryuji’s stance relaxed, but he remained more hunched than before.

“Fine...”

“By the way,” Kamoshida started. “You’re that new transfer student, correct? Felix Gambit...” Felix nodded, his mouth felt too dry to speak. Ryuji started up the stairs, stopping to send Kamoshida a glare before continuing up. Kamoshida let him go past then squinted at Felix.

“Have we met somewhere?” He asked, looking a bit more like the Kamoshida he and Ryuji had met in the castle.

“No.” He didn’t mean for there to be any bite in his words but some still snuck through. Kamoshida scratched his head.

“Oh, I remember now. I saw you at the station.” Felix blinked up at him. That’s right... he had seen him. That felt like it had been an eternity ago. “Well. I’ll overlook this just for today.” His friendly act dropped on the last word as he put his hands on his hips.

“I’m sure you’ve heard from the Principal, but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled. Understand?” He ordered, looking substantially more like the King in Underwear they had met.

“I understand.” He said quietly.

“Hurry up and go to the faculty office. I’m sure Ms. Kawakami’s tired of waiting.” In all the kerfuffle Felix had forgotten that she was waiting for him to arrive he mentally smacked himself and only sort of listened to Kamoshida wishing him luck on school life.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"An old castle," Sae interrupted his story once more for clarification. "and a talking cat."

Felix nodded. That about summed it up, yeah.

"… Are you sure you weren't hallucinating all of this?" She said, doubtfully.

Felix actually had to chuckle at that, though it hurt his bruised ribs something fierce. "This isn't nearly as weird as this story gets. And I don't remember taking any bad mushrooms."

Sae scowled again. "Fine. You sent Kamoshida a calling card. Why?"

"Cuz he's a bitch ass bitch." The drugs are really loosening his tongue. "C'mon, I'm getting there."

She certainly wasn't expecting THAT response. After a moment and a weird look, she nods to tell him to continue.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felix finally stepped into the school. It wasn’t anything special, it felt surprisingly normal after the day he had had. However, as he started towards the staircase, he realized that whispers had started as soon as he had entered.

“Isn’t that him?”

“The criminal?”

“I heard he stabbed a guy!”

“He’s gonna tank the school’s reputation.”

Felix almost missed the first step of the staircase but recovered without falling over. Had they really already heard? News can’t have spread that fast already.

He sighed and went quickly to the faculty office.

Miss Kawakami sat writing at a desk, she didn’t notice Felix until he was standing practically over her. She sighed when she realized who he was.

“Unbelievable...” She looked disappointed, making Felix feel even worse. “Over half a day late on your first day? Can you explain yourself?” She demanded. Felix decided that he wasn’t going to try and explain the odd thing that happened to him and Ryuji.

“I got lost.” He explained quietly. It wasn’t quite a lie.

“How could you have been lost for this long?! It’s almost lunchtime!” She demanded angrily. Felix hid behind his hair again, looking at anything but her face. She cooled down quickly. “Well, it’s probably true that you’re not used to the area yet... but you’re still way too late.” She grumbled to herself. Felix felt her eyes snap back to him after a moment and shrunk a little more.

“Will you pull yourself together? You were given fair warning yesterday.” She leaned on her desk and lowered her voice. “I heard you were caught along with that Sakamoto-kun?” Felix blinked.

“' _That'_ Sakamoto?” He asked, Ryuji hadn’t seemed that bad to him. She sighed and shook her head.

“Don’t get involved with him, okay? He’s nothing but trouble.” He had already caused Felix a mountain of trouble, but he didn’t think that was his fault.

“He wasn’t like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though...” She didn’t seem like she was talking to him anymore. She shook her head. “Anyway, break is almost over, and classes will end today because of the subway accident.”

“You’ll have to introduce yourself when class resumes.”

Felix gulped, standing in front of a class of people that really didn’t look happy to see him. It made the fidgeting he was doing with his fingers worse. Even from the front of the class he could hear all of the whispers.

“Settle down.” Miss Kawakami ordered, the class quieted. “Well, I’d like to introduce a transfer student: Felix Gambit.” Whispers started again, many incredulous of if that was a real name. “Today, we... had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn’t feeling well.” She lied, then turned to him. “All right, please say something to the class.”

Felix swallowed as much panic as possible.

“Nice to meet you.” He said softly, hoping it was loud enough for the class to hear. They had, but the talking that started afterwards was not encouraging.

“He seems quiet... but I bet when he loses it...”

“He was arrested for assault...”

Miss Kawakami ignored these and looked around the room.

“Your seat will be...” She thought for a minute, looking between the four or five empty seats. “Over there.” She pointed to a seat close to the back by the window. “Sorry, but can those of you near him share your textbooks for the day?”

Something told Felix that that wasn’t going to happen. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he approached the seat.

 

“... Lies.” The girl in the seat in front of him spat as he passed her. He blinked and looked at her. She didn’t look like she was Japanese... though she also looked familiar, but Felix couldn’t place her face. She turned away from him and he continued to his seat.

The whispers started again, but he caught a couple that weren’t about him, instead about the girl in front of him. He felt a little bad, his bad luck must be contagious.

“Oh right! The volleyball rally is in two days...” Miss Kawakami broke through the idle chatter. “Everyone’s just changed classes, so make sure to use that time to get to know each other.”

As soon as class ended, Felix scooped up his bag and made his way out. Only to almost pass out, as the hallway in front of him changed shape to look more like a castle. He put a hand to his head right as Miss Kawakami exited the classroom behind him.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” She asked, sounding more curious than sympathetic.

“Is this a school?” Felix asked quietly, more to himself than to his teacher. She huffed out a sigh.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked. He didn’t remember telling her that he was, but he supposed that he was fine. She pushed her hair back. “Also, it seems like people are already talking about you, but I’m not the one who told them.”

“I can’t even catch a break...” She grumbled to herself. That summed up how Felix had felt for most of that day. “Oh! And you should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-san sounded pretty angry.” Felix’s eyes widened. When had she had time to talk to Sakura?

“And about Sakamoto-kun, don’t-” Her thought was cut off by Ryuji approaching. Felix wanted to smile at him, but it didn’t seem like a good time to do so. “Speak of the devil. What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today.” She antagonized him, as if Felix wasn’t caught with him.

“Ugh...” Ryuji wouldn’t look her in the eye. “It was nothin’.” He growled.

“And you haven’t dyed your hair back to black either.” Her nitpicks felt endless.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Other than that, he ignored her comments and came close enough to Felix to whisper. “I’ll be waitin’ on the rooftop.” That was the quietest he had ever been. Felix nodded slightly. Kawakami had folded her arms.

Ryuji walked away without another word, making the teacher sort in derision.

“That’s why I don’t want you to get involved. Understood?” She asked, looking at Felix, oblivious to the meeting they had setup right in front of her. Without giving him time to answer, she left. He took a step closer to the stairwell, only to be blocked by the principal and Kamoshida passing by.

“Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He’s already started associating with Sakamoto.” Kamoshida complained to the principal, apparently not worried about who might hear. “A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case...” He sighed. “At this rate, it’d be pointless how much I contribute to the school.”

“Now don’t be like that...” The principal pleaded. “This school counts on you, you are our star.” He pointed out, sounding like someone placating a child. “Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well.” He said, looking down the other direction of the hallway.

“Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa?” He said, with a fake softness. “All right, I understand. I’ll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me.” They broke away, giving Felix the opportunity to go upstairs, towards the roof.

Felix could hear struggling as he climbed the last flight of stairs and cautiously peeked around the corner. Only to see Ryuji struggling with the door handle to the entrance to the roof. Felix approached silently.

“Stupid- effin’-” Ryuji broke off when Felix was right next to him. “Oh hey.” His face was a little red from exertion, but he looked fine. “Usually they leave it unlocked...” He said, his face turning even redder.

“No worries.” Felix shrugged and crouched down next to him. The door was just locked. So, wanting to prove his usefulness again, he pulled out Jack’s lockpicks. Jack was the better twin at lockpicking, but that didn’t mean Felix couldn’t do it.

It took him a minute longer than usual because of Ryuji watching his every movement, but he got the door open.

“Woah!” He exclaimed once Felix pushed the door open. The roof was cluttered with unused desks and chairs. Ryuji flung himself into one of the empty chairs. “Sorry for callin’ you up here like this. I bet Kawakami has already said her whole 'don’t get involved with him' spiel, huh?” His Kawakami impersonation was surprisingly accurate.

“How’d you know?” Felix asked, worried that she did that with all the students. Ryuji’s shoulders slumped.

“Figured as much.” He grumbled, sort of ignoring the question. “Then again,” He perked up. “We’re in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone’s been talkin’ about it.” Felix groaned inwardly, of course he had heard, everyone had heard, the whole damn school knew who he was.

“No wonder you were so gutsy.” Felix was so deep in self loathing that he almost didn’t catch what Ryuji had said. His eyes widened and he stared at him.

It all came rushing back. The castle, the guards, the all too tiny speedo. Felix lifted a hand to his forehead, leaning on the nearby nest of tables for support.

“What was all that? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle...” Ryuji’s eyebrows drew together. “It wasn’t a dream, right? You remember it too?” Felix nodded, his head swimming with all the odd things that had happened to them.

“Well,” Ryuji looked down, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Just ‘cause we both remember it doesn’t mean much though.” He thought for a moment before leaning back in his chair. “I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida.” He grinned widely. “Thanks.” Felix’s mind blanked almost immediately at the sudden thank you.

“Y-you’re welcome?” He managed, accidentally turning it into a question.

Ryuji didn’t seem to notice, his face turning serious again.

“But man, that Kamoshida we saw there...” He trailed off. “You prolly don’t know about it, but there are some rumors about him.” Ryuji said, subconsciously rubbing his left leg. The same leg that he had clutched at before. Felix decided against bringing that up.

"Kamoshida…" He shook his head. He had met two of them now. The one in the castle seemed to be much, _much_ , worse than the real thing.

"No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals." Ryuji said bitterly, no longer looking at Felix. "The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that." He leaned forward, a thought coming to him. "I wonder if we can go back to that castle…"

"May-" Felix was cut off by Ryuji getting up fast enough that his chair pushed backwards against the metal vent.

"Ugh, forget it." He said, obviously frustrated. "Must've all been a dream! It has to be!" It didn't feel like a dream to Felix, he distinctly remembered Ryuji's arms around him when he saved him from the dungeon waterway.

"Sorry to drag you out here like this…" He paused, a slow grin coming to his face. "You know, we might be pretty similar, I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as 'troublemakers.'" Felix had maybe done one trouble in his life, but he smiled and nodded.

"Seeya!" Ryuji said, opening the rooftop door.

"L-later." Felix responded, raising his hand. Only after Ryuji had been gone for a moment, Felix realized that he also had to go home.

\---

He daydreamed the whole way home, the trains were substantially less crowded at this time of day. He was snapped violently back to reality when he came into LeBlanc and Sakura barked a "hey" at him.

However, when Felix looked up, it wasn't just Sakura looking at him. Jack was sitting at the bar, a mug in front of him. He grinned at Felix, standing up.

"Y-you should be-" Felix started, stammering.

"Come on Felix, like I'd let you leave home without me." He said, standing to embrace his twin brother. Jack gave the best hugs. When he pulled back he still held on to Felix's arms. His smile fell slightly. "It's not really either of our homes anymore, but I'd rather hear about your adventures."

Felix quickly captured his brother in another hug. He honestly didn't think he'd see Jack for an entire year.

"I guess that makes you Jack?" Sakura said finally, reminding Felix where he was. Jack nodded, releasing Felix.

"The one and only." Jack threw his arm around Felix's shoulders.

"I hope you're not expecting to get lodging from me. I can barely house him." Sakura jerked a thumb at Felix, who looked at Jack, a little alarmed. Jack still kept his cool.

"No worries Sakura-san." He said, a mischievous smile growing on his lips. "I am more than willing to work for my keep." He folded his arms. "Felix and I are used to sharing a room as is."

Sakura considered him for a tense moment.

"Fine, we can work out rent. But first," He said gruffly, before turning back to Felix. "You, have some explaining to do."

"I got an interesting call from your school today." Felix froze immediately, looking reminiscent of a deer in the headlights. "It's only your first day and you're showing up hours late?" So the cops hadn't talked about him… Jack cut his eyes between them.

"I got a little lost…" It wasn't a total lie… Felix rubbed his neck, it still hurt from lying in that dungeon.

"Look, just… behave yourself." Sakura sighed. "You understand the meaning of probation, right?" Felix felt Jack tense next to him and quickly said whatever came to his mind first.

"The state of having been conditionally released?" The definition of probation wasn't the worst thing to say. Sakura's mouth twitched upwards, like he wanted to smile. Jack barked a laugh.

"Okay then." He looked like he wanted to say more, but his phone rang and he answered it instead. After a brief conversation, telling someone he'd be there in thirty minutes, Sakura looked back to Felix. "What're you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed." He considered Jack for a moment. "You too. We'll talk tomorrow." The two scrambled upstairs.

"Tell me everything." Jack demanded, sitting down on the futon. Felix sighed loudly and sat heavily on his bed.

"It's been... Incredibly long. It feels like I've been branded with a huge sign that says "criminal" on my head. Almost like it's totally fine to treat me like I'm less than human." Felix complained.

"Look, you don't have to skip school again," Jack said. "If you need another day off I can stand in for you."

"No it's not--" Felix shook his head. He opened his mouth to tell Jack all about his week. Then shut it again. How to even start? How could he convince his brother he wasn't pulling his leg? Jack was his other half, he couldn't stand to be called a liar by his only brother.

"Something to do with the brain wardens?" Jack asked after Felix was quiet for several long moments. Felix jumped a little. He'd completely forgotten he'd texted Jack his whole dream sequence and seeing Arsene in the street.

"It's uh…" Felix stuttered. "It's more complicated now…"

So Felix just told him. He told Jack about Ryuji, the castle, Kamoshida, and Morgana the talking stuffed animal. He barely paused for breath, and kept his eyes averted lest he see the look on his brother's face. When he finished, he finally met Jack's eyes… to see shock and comprehension on his brother's face?

"That… would explain some things," Jack replied, further baffling Felix.

" _How_ would that explain somethings?!" Felix squeaked.

"Well," Jack squeaked right back. "I was leaving the house after another argument with our parents when I heard this voice in my head…"

Felix stared at his brother with bugged eyes as he started to explain nearly the exact same thing that had happened to him.

"He called himself Jesse James, an American cowboy," Jack said. "He asked me if I thought it was fair what had happened to you. I said no way in hell and when I did there was this… pain in my head. I've never felt anything like it before and honestly I hope I never do again. Suddenly there was this mask on my face and I just knew I had to tear it off. So I did and he babbled something about Persona but I need to brush up on my English because he spoke mostly that. And anyway I hopped on a train and came out here to find you." Jack smiled at the end of his tale. Felix's mouth hung open.

"Are you making fun of me?" Felix asked, carefully.

"No! Bro, why would I do that to you," Jack was honestly hurt.

"This doesn't make any sense," Felix muttered, pushing his glasses out of the way to rub the bridge of his nose.  Jack tugged on his ponytail, obviously a little anxious. "For that to happen to both of us…" He looked exhausted, messing up his hair even more.

"Woah Felix it's okay. At the very least, you're not alone anymore. We should both get some sleep. You have school and I have to convince Sakura that I'm not as much of a delinquent as you are." He winked and grinned his signature grin, slightly crooked as always. It calmed Felix down immeasurably.

Jack was wholly prepared to sleep on the bare futon, but Sakura came upstairs with an extra blanket.

"I couldn't sleep knowing that you were up here without a blanket." He said, handing it to Jack. Surprised, he took it with another of his signature grins.

"Thanks Sakura." Sakura didn't respond, just grunted and walked back down the stairs. Jack jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the retreating pink shirt. "He's like if Papa Bear picked up a smoking habit."

Felix laughed harder than he had laughed in weeks. Having his brother back made Felix feel like some of the pressure that had been building had finally begun to ease off. He fell asleep in record time, listening to the soothing sound of someone else breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly but surely this will pick up. (Oh and sorry for the weird formatting thing earlier, switching to Rich text to HTML keeps fucking me over.)


	6. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With hard work, you can end up back in the hellscape that is the Metaverse.

Felix awoke once again in a jail cell. This one was the nicer one he had been to before, with the three people still there; one of the wardens addressed him.

"About time you've come to. On your feet, Inmate!" The loud warden, Caroline, demanded. He stood, and saw them all watching him, he shivered inwardly at their stares.

"Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart." Justine's soft words did nothing to soothe his slight panic.

Igor's strangely deep voice cut in there. "First off, let us celebrate our reunion." Felix didn't think it was anything to celebrate. "Oh?" Igor interrupted his train of thought. "You've awakened to your powers. And special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin."

"Powers?" Felix asked, cocking his head to one side. He hoped for a little explanation on the whole… everything.

Igor talked in unhelpful circles about powers and the metaverse and the "Navigator" which is apparently the name of the mysterious phone app. It was all very… big picture. Felix and Jack were all about the small-time stuff. Jack always talked about breaking into the big leagues, but Felix never thought the big leagues would be in the theatre of the mind.

"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief." Justine cut in. Part of Felix wanted to tell Justine that he was already a fine thief, and had been for a while. But he didn’t get the chance, as a suspiciously familiar alarm began to ring.

"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have." Felix wanted more answers but the room faded to black quickly.

\---

Awakening back in LeBlanc's attic, Felix got up quickly to tell Jack all the details of what had happened in the Velvet room. Jack was still asleep on the Futon but awoke to Felix's prodding.

"You couldn't wait, like, 5 more minutes?" He asked sleepily, looking blearily up at his brother. Felix shook his head violently.

"I went to that weird Velvet Room place again." He said quietly as if someone might hear him and think he was crazy. It seemed to wake Jack up faster than any tickling. He swung his legs off the futon and patted the now empty area next to him.

Felix explained the whole dream, even adding voices and a lot of gesticulation. Jack snorted out a laugh and several chuckles along the way, only interrupting his twin when he needed clarification.

"I think I need to go with you the next time you go to that Castle thingy." He said, adamantly. "Besides, we all know I'm better at picking locks than you are." He added lightly, keeping Felix from thinking about having to go back to the awful Palace.

"I don't even know how to get back there." He sighed and ruffled his bed head. "I'm hoping I can catch Ryuji before or after school." He said, fidgeting with his hands. Jack nodded, patting him on the back.

"Either way, you should get ready for school." Felix nodded and headed towards the bathroom. "And brush your hair for once!" Jack called after him, only to receive a rude gesture and several muttered expletives.

Sakura had made another plate of curry for Felix that morning and looked like he was making more when he hustled out the door and turned the sign to open. He knew Jack would be able to convince him to let him stay, his brother had a tongue of solid silver.

Despite arriving early, Felix couldn't find Ryuji before class started. He resolved to look for him afterwards as well, and headed into class.

\---

The teachers seemed to already be after him. Felix was able to answer the questions posed at him correctly, but it set the class whispering. He rubbed the back of his head, almost wishing he had answered incorrectly. The social studies teacher wasn't even subtle about singling out Felix.

"Bizarre incidents have been occurring frequently. Those are but the actions of scum." It seemed like news of the mental breakdowns were following him. "We don't need such crude people like that in this school. Understand?" Felix tensed and looked at the teacher. Mr. Ushimaru was looking directly at him.

\---

Felix felt his head pounding as he left his classroom at the end of school. He didn't think it could get any worse.

"Hey there, Takamaki!" Felix blanched at the sound of Kamoshida's voice. He was approaching the girl with the massive amount of blonde hair. She stopped, her hand moving to clench the strap of her bag. "You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents."

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it…" Takamaki looked the furthest thing from sorry. She looked like all she wanted to do was run very far away from him.

"Hey now…" Kamoshida expression was worried, but something about him was off. "Being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone." The way he said it… Felix shook his head, an awful feeling working its way into his guts. "You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?" Takamaki looked down still, her face unreadable.

"Yes. I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy… Sorry to worry you." She added the last bit so quietly Felix had to stop himself from coming closer to try and hear her better.

"You must be lonely too." Kamoshida went on, Felix stiffened and Takamaki shrunk impossibly further in on herself. "I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That's why I asked you out in the first place." The bad feeling tightened in Felix's guts. He tightened his lips together to stop from stepping in. She seemed like she could handle herself… "Oh, and be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…" Felix hid behind his hair and looked away.

"…Thank you." She hesitated, then turned away. "Please excuse me." She walked away, somehow at a normal pace. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kamoshida made a derisive noise, his expression flipping quickly from concern to anger. There was the king Felix remembered. Felix suppressed a shudder and scurried away, deciding to look for Ryuji before heading home.

Despite his thorough search, Ryuji was nowhere on the second floor. It was getting late, and Felix wanted to see how Jack and Sakura were getting along, so he decided to leave for home.

"Yo." The familiar voice stopped him as he exited the school gates. Ryuji pushed off from leaning against a nearby wall and approached him.

"What's up?" Felix attempted to sound cool, hoping that he wouldn't notice how much time it had taken him to actually leave school.

"I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin' myself it was all just a dream… but I couldn't do it." He admitted, folding his arms. "I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what." He dropped his arms and looped them into his pockets. "And y'know, you're the only person I can rely on for this stuff. So, you in?"

"Yeah I wanna figure this out too," Felix replied immediately, hoping Ryuji wouldn't notice the blush on his face. He'd called him reliable… "First of all, we should try and find a way back there."

"I think we should try and retrace our steps from yesterday," Ryuji suggested, turning to leave school grounds. "In the meantime, you're walkin' to the station, right? Let's go together. Lemme know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way." His sharp grin made another appearance and Felix had to fight to not lose his footing on the wet pavement. He sure was cute.

The boys made their way to the storefront awning they had sought refuge under just yesterday.

"If a huge castle like that really exists, I'm sure we'll find it in no time." Ryuji slouched into his normal stance. "When'd they build something like that though?"

"Was it built?" Felix asked, he wasn't entirely sure. None of this was strictly… normal. Ryuji just shook his head and gestured to an alley behind Felix and a little to his left.

"We walked that way from here, right?" Ryuji asked. "That's towards the school right?" He asked, turning slightly. Ryuji frowned.

"Yeah, but when you put it that way, I'm not so sure anymore…" He shook his head, a resolute expression firmly on his face. "All right, this way! Lemme know if you notice something."

The walk back to the school was uneventful again, except for the white butterfly that had caught Felix's attention. It surprised him, nature in the city. It felt like ages since Felix had seen anything that wasn't constructed, or painted, or digital. It was nice. The school was still the school when they got there.

Ryuji's expression turned surprised to disappointed really quick. "We're at school…" He said, rubbing the back of his head. "There wasn't anything out of place along the way, right? I didn't see no castle either…" He made a frustrated noise and swung his arm down. "We must've made a wrong turn somewhere. Let's try again."

"It's a magical castle, I really don’t think there's supposed to be a street that leads there." Felix didn't mean to sound as defeatist as he did. Ryuji gave him a fearless look, somewhat like the one he had while facing Kamoshida.

"C'mon, you gotta stick with me to the end." It sounded like Ryuji knew that Felix wasn't going anywhere. "Let's go."

He wasn't wrong.

\---

It took them several more tries, walking from the storefront to the school for Ryuji to run out of steam and slump against a wall. He glared at the little plaque proclaiming the name of the school. His eyebrows drew together as he slid a little farther down on the wall. Felix took off his glasses and cleaned them, at a total loss.

"Is it smaller than we think it is?" He looked up at Felix, tucking his thumbs into his pockets.

"Check on your phone?" Felix said, looking up at the blurry dandelion that was probably still Ryuji; without his glasses, it was hard to tell. He moved slightly, shaking his head (probably).

"I already did that." He frowned, defeated. "It's not exactly on google maps."

Sighing in frustration Felix put back on his glasses. They sat in a contemplative silence until Ryuji sat up abruptly.

"Phone! That reminds me-- didn't you have a navigation app thingy on back then?" Felix nodded, he hadn't known at the time, but that's what the eye had been. "I dunno if that's what it was, but I heard stuff that sounded like one comin' from your phone. I think it said stuff like "returned to the real world" or something?"

Felix blinked. How had he not thought of that? Quickly, he dug out his phone. Sure enough, there was the eye app, the one he couldn't delete.

"Lemme see your phone for a bit." It was hard to say no to a guy when he looked at you like Ryuji did with his big brown eyes.

"What's this eyeball-lookin' thing?" He asked, his finger hovering over it, tempted to tap it.

"It just appeared… I can't delete it, despite my attempts." Felix fiddled with some of the hair in front of his face. "I think it's the navigation app." Ryuji's eyes widened.

"I knew it-- It totally is the navigation app! Look, there's even a search history!" His sharp grin returned, making Felix smile automatically.

"Oh man, I'm such a genius!" Ryuji said, practically dancing with how happy he was. "Let's try usin' it." He said, looking back down, his finger hovering over the app.

"Wait, are we ready for this?" Felix asked he was a little scared to go back if he was honest. He had also promised to take Jack with him the next time. Ryuji shrugged.

"All we gotta do is start the--" He was cut off.

"Felix!" The voice calling to him; speak of the devil. Jack was walking quickly towards them. Felix smiled, but Ryuji seemed to tense beside him. "I got worried when you didn't come back." He said, sounding a little out of breath. Jack eyes fell on Ryuji.

"The fuck is you?" Ryuji asked, eloquently.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Felix muttered as Jack looked Ryuji up and down, a bemused smile on his face. "Ryuji, this is Jack. Jack, this is Ryuji, I told you about him yesterday." He said, nudging his twin. Recognition dawned on Jack's face.

"Jack Gambit, at your service." He said with his signature smile and a wink. "I'm Felix's twin brother." Ryuji's eyebrows raised and he looked to Felix, almost for confirmation that that was true. As if they didn’t have the same face… Felix nodded.

"Ryuji Sakamoto." He gave Jack his sharp grin and just like that, Jack was part of the team. "Did Felix tell you about the castle?" He asked quickly, surprising Felix. Jack nodded.

"I wanted to come with when you guys went back. I'm a better lockpick than Felix is anyway." He said breezily, slinging an arm around Felix's shoulders. "You found a way to get back there then?" He asked, peeking over the phone.

"I think so. Let's try this." Felix selected the most recent history on the list. He felt braver with his brother by his side. Between the twins and Ryuji, there was nothing they couldn't handle.

"Kamoshida, Shujin Academy, Pervert, Castle." Jack and Felix looked at each other as the Navigator started talking. "Beginning navigation."

"Here we go!" Ryuji said excitedly. The world suddenly turned purple.

"What the hell?!" Jack exclaimed, pointing to the school as it shifted and shimmered.

"Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" Ryuji ran forward, making the twins run after him. They stopped in front of a window.

"Nice coat." Jack snorted at Felix. He reached up to touch the bandana that had suddenly appeared across his face.

"Nice hat." Felix shot back. Both of them had already shifted outfits. Jack lifted his hands to examine the gloves on them. His hat could only be described as a gambler's hat, he had only ever seen it in movies, it rested crookedly on his head. The bandana that covered his face was red and concealed most of his face except his expressive blue eyes. His outfit, consisting of what a stereotypical old western gambler would wear, was black and white. His gloves a deep black.

"-That means what happened yesterday was for real too…" Ryuji mumbled to himself before turning around. "Your clothes change too?!" he yelled, looking at Jack. "What's with your outfits?"

"You jelly?" Jack said immediately, grinning underneath the kerchief; expressive eyes giving away his mirth.

"No! Those spurs just look like they'd be hard to sneak in." He denied immediately.

"How do you sound perfectly clear with that in front of your face?" Felix asked, his head tilted slightly as he examined Jack's outfit. "You get two guns?!" He exclaimed when he looked at the holsters that flanked his brother's hips. Jack looked down and rested his hands on them.

"This makes no effin' sense at all-" Ryuji kicked at the dirt. He opened his mouth to bitch more but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey!"

The three boys looked over to see the stuffed animal they had met the last time they were here. They came towards them. "Stop making a commotion," they demanded in a harsh whisper. Jack blinked owlishly at the creature.

"Dude, it totally looks like a plushie." He said quietly, nudging Felix. Morgana either didn't hear him or ignored him.

"The shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could- Where'd you get the other Persona wielder?" they asked, suddenly becoming aware of Jack's presence. He tipped his hat at them, really getting into his role.

"Jack Gambit at your service, I'm his twin." He jerked a thumb at Felix. "…Howdy," he added in English. Morgana's eyes narrowed.

"Jack Gambit can't be a real name," they said incredulously, shaking their head. "To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape."

"Well… we did bring reinforcements." Felix pointed out, gesturing towards Jack.

"What is this place? Is it the school?" Ryuji asked hoping for more information. Morgana nodded.

"That's right."

"How'd it become a castle?!" He gesticulated impatiently.

"It's only a castle to its ruler." The plush toy responded, bafflingly. The three boys looked at each other.

"Who's the ruler?" Felix and Jack asked at the same time.

"C'mon guys," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Who else here was dressed in a cape and crown?"

"I think you called him Kamoshida?" Morgana said, looking to the boys for confirmation. "It's how his distorted heart views the school." Ryuji's eyebrows drew together.

"… Distorted…" He looked really confused and Felix couldn't blame him.

"How can we be in someone's-" Felix was cut off by screaming coming from the castle. Jack stepped in front of Felix in an immediate defensive position.

"What was that?!" Jack and Ryuji demanded. Morgana seemed unmoved by the sound.

"It must be the slaves captive here," they said, nonchalantly. So nonchalantly that it took a minute for the words to actually sink in.

"For real?!" Ryuji's eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of their sockets. The screaming came back again, making Felix even tenser.

"It is for real!" Jack said. Ryuji turned to Felix.

"We saw other guys held captive here yesterday!" Ryuji said. "I'm pretty sure that they're from our school."

Felix couldn't remember seeing any familiar faces during the day, but to be honest, he had been a little preoccupied.

"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary; it's like that every day here." Morgana said with a shrug. "What's more, you two escaped yesterday. He must be preeeeeetty ticked off."

"That son of a bitch!" Ryuji spat out, looking away from Morgana. If anyone was ticked off here, it was him. Felix frowned, concerned.

"Ryuji?" He asked hesitantly, reaching toward him in a comforting manner.

"This is bullshit!" The sheer rage on his face was enough to scare a mountain into submission. He dashed and shoulder slammed the big ass door. The thud that resounded made Felix more concerned for Ryuji than ever before, specifically since it sounded like he could've broken something. "You hear me, Kamoshida?!" He roared upwards.

"Doing that isn't going to get you in, you know…" Morgana said, then looked down, embarrassed maybe. "Still, it seems you have your reasons." Ryuji looked pensive. Angry, but pensive.

"Hey, Monamona!" He addressed the plushie. Their ears twitched angrily.

"It's Morgana!" they protested.

"Do you know where those voices are comin' from?" Ryuji asked. Felix picked up on his thinking. If they could save anyone, he wanted to at least try.

"You want me to take you to them?" Morgana asked, skeptically at Ryuji. They thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I could guide you there, but only if they come with us." They pointed at the twins.

"Let's go then," Jack said as Felix nodded.

"It's settled then!" Morgana's concerned look fell away quickly. Ryuji pumped his fist.

"For real?!" He grinned at the twins. "Thanks man." His sincere smile made Felix duck his head, bashful. Jack patted Ryuji on the shoulder in a show of comradery.

They followed Morgana back to the vent they had used to escape the first time. They called it the "infiltration point."

"Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery," Morgana said knowledgeably.

"How're we supposed to know about that stuff?" Ryuji asked as they leaped up a convenient barrel and up to the vent.

"I'll make sure to teach you as we go. Come on, follow me!" Morgana disappeared into the castle. Jack started after them first.

"So, uh…" Ryuji started, stealing Felix's attention from his brother. "Sorry for draggin' you into all of this." His look turned fierce. "I just can't forgive that bastard Kamoshida doin' whatever the hell he wants!"

"I'm pretty sure we came willingly," Felix said with a soft smile.

"Really though, thanks for comin' along. I owe you big time." Ryuji patted Felix on the shoulder, his hand staying there as his attention was drawn to Jack struggling to pull himself up into the large vent. Following his gaze, Felix made a strangled, worried noise and rushed to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for making it this far. You really don't realize how long the beginning is until you actually have to read/write it.
> 
> AND HEY! We're currently ahead! So posting may become regular. (said every fic writer ever...)


	7. Several Puns in a Trenchcoat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the shitiest castle known to man. Could it get worse? Abso-fuckin-lutely

Ryuji ended up helping both twins through the vent because they were both equally useless with upper body strength. They all dusted themselves off in the library-looking room.

"Why'd it take you guys so long?" Morgana huffed at the three of them.

"How'd you get up in the first place? With that weird jump thingy." Jack retorted, breathing a little heavily.

"I guess I'll have to show you that during Morgana's Super Awesome Training Sequence!" They grinned before running out of the room. Felix shrugged and followed, at least it sounded entertaining. The group went directly into the main hall, which seemed to defeat the purpose of not using the front door.

"Hey, we went by here when we came in the front." Ryuji said, looking around. As if responding to his voice, the room shifted. "What the?!" Felix dropped low, ready for a fight. "I was seein' double of something just now! Was that Shujin?!" Now that he mentioned it, the opulent room had shifted into something like the Shujin foyer.

"Well, since this place is your school, it's bound to seep in at times. Regardless, we don't have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up." They said, motioning the group onward. Jack moved up next to Felix when they started moving again.

"And Shadows are those weird things like Sir Strap-on the Devil and the Pretty Pixie?" He asked quietly. Felix snorted, trying not to laugh.

They went down a familiar spiral staircase into the dungeon. The sound of the waterway reached them before they saw it. Morgana motioned for them to slow down, which didn't make any sense until they heard the stomp of the Shadow guard beyond the gate they had stopped at.

"Darn. I had a feeling there would be guards down here…" Morgana made a face as they pressed against the wall. "It looks like we won't be able to avoid conflict from this point forward."

"F-for real?" Ryuji stuttered out.

"Oh well. I'll just teach you the basics of battle right now. It's usually later on in my Super Awesome Training Sequence, but I guess this'll do. Take notes or something." They ordered, planting their hands (paws?) on their hips. "As a rule of thumb, try to ambush as many soldiers as you can. Attacking from behind is the best way to do that."

Jack elbowed Felix in the side, then waggled his eyes at him. Felix blushed to the roots of his hair, and glared at his brother.

"Pay attention!" Morgana demanded, flailing their arms like a child. "You'll need to rip off their masks to momentarily break the control the Palace Ruler has over them." Felix watched Morgana intently. He was enamored with the tactics they were proposing. "If you succeed, the enemy will be caught off guard, allowing us to jump in for a preemptive attack."

"So we wanna ambush 'em and go for the first strike… All right, I got it!" Ryuji pumped his fist.

"Uh," Morgana started, their arms falling from their position. "you know you're just going to be watching, right? You don't have a Persona…" Jack patted Ryuji consolingly as he deflated, letting Felix and Morgana get a little ahead of them.

"Y'know, I'm certain you'll gain a Persona," he said in a confiding tone.

Ryuji shrugged, poorly hiding his jealousy. It wasn't even the superpowers he envied. He just hated feeling useless... Powerless.

"Y'think?" Ryuji mumbled. Jack grinned his most winning smile. Even behind his mask, it was lethal.

"Call it a gamble." He winked before joining the others.

Morgana carefully led them behind the guard, giving Felix the chance to start an ambush.

They were lucky this time, the guard only consisted of one Shadow. The pumpkin spirit waved its lantern menacingly but Jack took it out with the crack of what looked like just a spool of rope. Felix looked at him oddly once the Shadow dispersed.

"Is that a whip?" He asked, at least three BDSM jokes at the ready.

"Of course not! I'm an American Cowboy, remember? It's a lasso." Jack responded, cheekily avoiding any joke Felix could make. He said 'American cowboy' in English, with a terrible western accent.

Ignoring their banter, Ryuji looked around the waterway. All the cells appeared to be empty. He kicked the ground angrily, getting impatient.

"Dammit, they were here before! Where'd they go?!" He grit through his teeth, looking at Felix for confirmation that they had been there.

"Quiet down!" Morgana hissed, looking around warily.

"There were more of them further in…" Felix said, looking down towards the rest of the cells. Ryuji didn't waste any time running in that direction.

"They might have been transferred already…" Morgana tapped a paw to approximately where their chin would be. It didn't take long for Ryuji to come dashing back towards them.

"Crap! I can hear footsteps comin'! Lots of 'em!" He managed between winded breaths, despite the fact that he hadn't gone that far.

"That didn't take long." Jack said, taking out one of his guns.

"It would be a problem if they discovered us now." Morgana said, motioning Ryuji closer to them. "It's a long shot, but let's head into that room." They motioned to a closed door across from the cell they had stopped in front of. Once inside, Morgana spoke again.

"The Shadows probably won't come in here." Morgana continued, hopping onto the table that stood in the center of the shabby storage room. Ryuji was still having trouble breathing, but struggled through anyway.

"How… can you tell?" He asked, panting in the middle. A smug smile came to the cat's face.

"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak." Right as they finished talking, the room faded briefly back into the school.

"Is this a classroom?" Ryuji asked, looking around again once it returned to the dungeon view. It had looked a little barren to be an in use classroom.

"It's odd to think all of this came from how one man saw the school." Felix reflected, gazing around the room. Talking about Kamoshida seemed to rile Ryuji up.

"That son of a bitch!" His anger flared as he yelled, making Felix look at Jack helplessly. Morgana blinked.

"You must really hate this Kamoshida guy," they said, looking at him curiously.

"Hate doesn't even cover how I feel," he growled. "Everything is that asshole's fault!" He looked almost feral, his almost tangible rage coming off of him like cracks of lightning.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but we have to be careful. Don't let your emotions make you take risky moves," Morgana cautioned. Momentary compassion, like they had personal experience with frustration.

Ryuji looked like he was ready to start yelling again, but Felix put a hand on his shoulder. He had had a plan to say something comforting, but when Ryuji's eyes were on him his tongue glued itself to the top of his mouth. He went for an encouraging smile instead. Once they had time to cool him down somewhat, Morgana looked at Felix and Jack again.

"You're curious about your outfits, aren't you?" They asked, to ease the tension. Their tail swished in the air with excitement.

"No, I was just going to write off the whole Cowboy get up, and Felix's new edgelord status." Jack sassed, buying Felix time to restart his gay-ass brain.

"Yeah, I'm curious as hell," Ryuji offered.

"Since Palaces are made of people's distorted views of the world, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion to break past the distortion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It's the image of rebellion that you hold within." The twins looked at each other once Morgana finished speaking. They were carefully keeping from laughing.

"Your vision of rebellion looks like a 'rawr xd'?" Jack asked, making Felix snort painfully.

"Says the extra from Blazing Saddles." Ryuji shot back while Felix recovered.

"You look like Shadow the hedgehog," Jack giggled.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over your spurs that jingle jangle jingle," Felix wheezed.

"You look like the copypasta of the US Marine," Jack gasped, helplessly slapping his knee.

"You look like you're about to rustle up some cattle." Felix leaned on Ryuji for support.

"Can you idiots focus?!" Morgana jumped up and down to get their attention but it was too late. The absurdity of their situation and the stress had gotten to them and they were gone.

"You look like the third option from 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly'," Ryuji guffawed.

"You look like if a tumbleweed rolled through a Hot Topic store," Jack laughed.

"You look like the before picture of that tumbleweed," Felix wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Okay, so you two look like a cosplay convention," Ryuji said, gasping for air. "Why does Morgana look like something you would buy at a cosplay convention?" Morgana hissed at that one.

"I'm a human! An honest-to-god human!" they yelled, the boys having hit on an obvious sore spot. Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

"No, you're obviously more like a cat." He pointed out, always one for the straight forward.

"This is, well…" they started a couple of times, looking away. "It's because I lost my true form… I think."

"You think?" Jack asked, fully recovered from his laughter and ready to appear to be serious. Morgana looked back, a smile returned to their face.

"But I do know how to regain my true form." They said, paws now firmly on their hips again. "That's the reason I snuck in here! A preliminary investigation of those means." Their ears flattened. "Well, I ended up getting caught though. I've been tortured by Kamoshida too!" Morgana made eye contact with Ryuji. "I'm gonna make him pay for sure!"

"What is this, a comic book? This is seriously crazy…" Ryuji rubbed the side of his head, taking it all in.

"If we're going to keep going, we should hurry along." Morgana had their ears pricked to hear anything, the coast seemed to be clear. "I'll be counting on both of your skills, got it?" They gestured at both Felix and Jack.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so…" Ryuji paused, digging in his back pocket. "I brought this just in case!" He pulled a whole-ass pistol from his pocket, alarming everyone present. "It's a model gun though, so it only really makes sounds." Ryuji handed it to Felix, with Jack over his shoulder.

"It's just a toy?!" Morgana flailed their arms around again.

"But it looks totally real, so it'll at least fake 'em out." He offered with a shrug.

"You're way more prepared than I originally thought!" Jack said, poking at the gun in Felix's hand until he was swatted away.

"If you're ready to go, we'll resume our infiltration." Morgana said, already hoping off the table.

Felix popped the door opened the door a crack and almost slammed it in alarm. Three soldiers were grouped outside, talking to each other. Morgana caught the door and sent him a dirty look.

"I thought I heard something move over there… Guess it was my imagination." One of them said, looking around.

"And what of the slaves?" Another said, looking back where they had come from.

"They're all in the training hall. I'd assume they're screaming in pain by now." There was a twisted mirth in it's voice that made Felix uneasy.

"Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard." The guards broke and walked away from each other. Two went where they had come from, and one went further into the dungeon. Once they were clearly gone, Morgana smirked up at Felix.

"Did you hear that?" They asked, leading them out of the safe room.

"Trainin' hall, right?" Ryuji answered, cautiously looking back where they had came from.

"I think that's just a little further ahead. Let's go!" Morgana urged them to go further on. Jack nodded and the twins lead the group further in.

"Why are we the ones in front if Morgana's the one with experience?" Felix asked quietly as they went down the stairs. Morgana interrupted him, drawing their attention to a soldier at the bottom of the stairs.

"The way to the training hall should be just past those bars…" They pointed out.

"So… what're we gonna do? Do we gotta fight it?" Ryuji asked, looking concerned.

"Seems so. Just don't let it notice you… We don't need the Palace security to rise." They cautioned.

"A-and what do we do if that happens? Run away?" Ryuji asked, looking alarmed.

"Pff, it will go back down if we beat more enemies without being noticed." Morgana said with a shrug, as Felix leaped up and ripped the mask off of the soldier.

Two weird… Mandrakes? Came out of the exposed shadow. They put up a bit more fight than the Jack o' Lanterns; one immediately attempted to deafen Jack with the most annoying screeching sound in the entire world, but they were ultimately no match for the three of them and their guns.

Ryuji pulled open the heavy looking iron bar gate. It made some painful noises, like a door that needed a gallon of WD-40.

Once they were past the gate, they could hear the screaming. Felix risked a look at Ryuji, who looked worse than he had expected. Two flights of stairs lead to an abrupt turn. Felix made a face at the Kamoshida flag that hung above them. Disgusting prick. Jack had to pull him back before he walked blindly around the corner, where two soldiers sat waiting.

"Hey, have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?"

"No, nobody yet…" the closer one replied, sounding like it had been asked this several times recently, and the answer had always been no.

"I was hoping that there wouldn't be this many guards…" Morgana growled, watching as the guards kept looking at each other.

"Shouldn't we just take 'em out?" Ryuji asked, always one for brute force. Morgana shook their head.

"We don't know how long we'll have to be in here so we should be conserving energy." They made a good point.

"Dammit… I wish I could fight." Ryuji hit the crate he was crouching next to in frustration. "I'd at least be able to help out a little bit… But all I got is this toy. I'm such a loser." His suffering lead Morgana to look back at the gun Ryuji had given Felix.

"Wait… Holy shit that looks really real." Morgana's eyes glinted dangerously in the torchlight. "We're just going to use that to take down the enemies." They said it with such confidence that made it look like Morgana was losing their mind.

"What?!" Ryuji was just as confused. "Were you listenin'? It don't even shoot pellets." He pointed out.

"Don't worry. I'm sure this'll work, go for it Mop top!"

"Let's go I suppose." Jack said, practically shoving Felix towards the Shadows.

"Wait, no! I keep sayin', it's not gonna fire anything!" Ryuji called as Felix stumbled right into the Shadow. He just barely recovered quick enough to slash at it before it knew what was going on.

"Now! Use it!" Morgana shouted. Lacking any better ideas, he did, and somehow the gun fired and knocked down the first enemy. Looking to Jack in surprise, Felix fired at the other one, knocking them both down so they could really just mop them up.

"Oh! I was just about to teach you about this. See, I knew you were the clever one." Morgana enthused, holding what looked like a slingshot to shoot the downed enemies.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Jack whined, finishing them off with his two pistols.

"Holy shit it shot real bullets!" Ryuji ran up to Felix after the fight, both examining the gun.

"As long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic-looking. Nice going!" That was probably the first positive word Morgana had said about Ryuji, surprising both of the ones who had met them previously.

"That kinda makes sense… it's all about perception," Jack said as he examined his own pistols. Felix looked them over as well.

"Are those the same-"

"Revolvers I had when we were kids? I think so." He grinned at Felix. "Who knew right?"

"If it's better having something realistic, why do you got that slingshot?" Ryuji questioned, then he frowned. "And it was just as strong as the gun!"

"W-well um… see it as you choose to see it?" Morgana sounded like they weren't sure why it was a slingshot either. "Oh!" They said before anyone could further ask about it, "we should decide how we divvy up our roles in combat from here on out. We can't just keep winging it if it'll get harder the further we go."

"Well," Jack was using his awful western accent again. "Ah suppose we better keep Morgana on tha intel and Felix on the coordination of attacks." Felix squinted at him. "What? You're good at tactics! I have never once beaten you in risk." He pointed out, slipping out of the accent like it was a pair of chaffy chaps.

"It's settled then." Morgana nodded sagely. Felix frowned, afraid of the amount of trust they were putting on him. They continued down the corridor. It twisted uncomfortably, and Felix almost stumbled into the asshole of another guard. Ryuji pulled him back this time, but Felix recovered quickly and ripped the mask off the soldier.

More Jack O' Lanterns. They weren't a problem, but Felix didn't think that their luck would last for long. They passed over a bridge.

"Yo, so why is there a certified river in a dungeon?" Jack asked Morgana. He didn't get an answer as they peeked around an alcove to see another guard.

"I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be going…" it didn't look like there was any way to get a drop on it… Felix shook his head and ran up to quickly strike it before it could react. It was a single pixie. A bit underwhelming, if very sparkly. They were about to take it down, when Morgana stopped them.

"Wait, hold on. It's at our mercy!"

"Yeah?!" Ryuji protested. "isn't that the point? Take it out!"

Then the pixie actually spoke up. "Please don't, actually? I-I'll give you something!"

"Whoa what," Jack said.

"As I was about to say," Morgana continued somewhat arrogantly, "the Shadows don't want to die any more than you do. You can bargain for things!"

"Oh," Felix said, adjusting to this news, "okay. So what will you give us?"

"Ummm..." The Pixie looked nervous. "Oh! What about this Devil Fruit? It'll heal you!" she added quickly, apparently realizing that they were pretty new to this.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly. "That's a good deal!"

"Okay," Felix agreed.

"Okay here you go!" The Pixie practically threw the weird looking fruit at Felix in her hurry to get out of there. He almost fumbled it, ending up basically juggling the thing for a second.

"That went surprisingly well! You're definitely fit for this." Morgana complimented him. Felix looked away, blushing. He had never been good at taking compliments.

"See? Every. Single. Game." Jack said, slinging an arm around Felix.

The door that had been guarded just lead to another room with a door. Though it had a banner above it.

"All right, this is it!" Morgana said, jumping up to pump their fist into the air.

"Kamoshida's… Training Hall… of Love? What kinda bullshit is this?! Please tell me I read that wrong." Ryuji practically snarled at the banner. Felix and Jack shook their heads almost in perfect sync.

"I wish I hadn't read those words." Felix mumbled, before pushing open the door. It was definitely the right place, the screaming was as loud and they could make out words. They sounded like people were begging it to stop, and pleading for help. Felix gulped and got nudge from Jack, who smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry Nerd, we'll help them."

Down the stairs and across another drawbridge, they found the source of the screaming. Ryuji's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head as they approached the bars. At first, they couldn't see anything, but then they looked down.

Four guys stood with their hands on a volleyball net, with four soldiers behind them, smacking them repeatedly with wooden rods.

"Dammit! This is bullshit!" Ryuji lost his temper again and kicked the ground violently, almost kicking the bars instead.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?!" Morgana said urgently, looking around. Ryuji looked helplessly at Felix.

"But this is beyond messed up!" He scratched his head, angrily searching for a way to help. "How do I open this?"

"Stop it…" A guy came walking up next to the bars. "Leave us alone… It's useless…" He had a bandaged up knee and arm, and a covering over his eye. He didn't look like someone that should be left alone.

"Huh?!"

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!" Another guy said, walking up. His wrist was bandaged as well, but he didn't look as banged up as the first guy. Felix reflexively put a hand to his neck. No, his head was still there.

"You're tellin' me you wanna stay in a place like this?!" Ryuji shot back, grabbing the bars.

"Wait a minute… Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?" Morgana asked, folding their arms.

"We can't just leave them!" Ryuji said, looking to Felix and Jack for backup on this point.

"That's not how the cognitive world works! These are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition. They aren't real, like you and me. They didn't enter from reality." Morgana explained, slowly. "There's no point in saving them! The real ones would still be… trapped, in a different way, but still trapped."

"The hell?! Why's it gotta be so complicated!?" Ryuji fisted a hand in his hair, like that would make things make sense. "The school's a castle and the students are slaves… It's so on point that it makes me laugh. This really is the inside of that asshole's head…" He said, folding his arms and looking away. Morgana jumped off of their perch on the crates and trotted towards the cell.

"Still, this is horrible. It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too." They placed a paw on the bars.

"In the real world too…" Ryuji squinted back down at the poor guys who were being beat up on. "Wait, I know these guys. They're members of the volleyball team-- the one Kamoshida coaches for!" The crease where Morgana's eyebrows should be deepened and they had to look away from the cell.

"They must be physically abused every day… There's no way they'd be so beat up normally."

"I heard that Kamoshida's usin' physical punishment. They're just rumors. But…" Ryuji slammed his fist on the bars. "If they're true, wouldn't this be somethin' to report to the police?"

"If I could just…" Ryuji pulled out his phone. "Oh come on." He looked frustrated. "We can use the navigation app, but the camera's a no go?!"

"A navigation app?" Morgana looked up to Jack for an explanation.

"That's what we used to come here. It mysteriously appeared on Felix's phone." Jack elaborated, while Felix checked his own camera, it wouldn't even open.

"Huh." Morgana thought for a minute, then flailed their arms. "We're gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!" They made a good point but the look on Ryuji's face told the twins that he wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"Hold on a sec. If there's no other way, I'll just memorize their faces before we go home."

They walked further into the dungeon. The rooms were… not at all as loving as the title of the area would have lead Felix to believe. One had them running endlessly towards a water container that still sat well above their heads. The third room, had a canon constantly shooting a volleyball directly into face of a student, who was also dangling by his legs.

"If you're done, we need to scram!" Morgana said, looking around skittishly. Felix nudged Ryuji, silently pleading to leave.

"Alright, alright I'm done. I think I've got 'em all." Ryuji said grimly. They finally left the so called training hall, but Felix was certain he'd never forget the torture he saw in there. They had only just gotten out of the iron gate when they heard a soldier.

"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!" The shadow announced, loudly. Jack pulled everyone behind a couple of convenient crates and barrels. Just in time for another soldier to arrive.  
 

"Tch. We've stayed here too long…" Morgana complained, tugging the end of Felix's coat. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhheck. This one was a bitch to get out. Fight scenes are stupid to write. But hey, at least we got jokes. Next chapter has substantially less jokes but a couple of lines that I'm pretty proud of.


	8. Gettin' Gayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will this be the gayest chapter yet? Probably. Will it remain that way? Signs point to no.

Despite Morgana's bitching, they were able to make it up the spiral staircase without incident. Felix never wanted to see another staircase again. It was just too much cardio and he couldn't help but notice how very out of breath Ryuji was.

"Come on, the exit's this way! Let's hurry!" Felix held up a finger to ask for one moment. He was still breathing hard, but Ryuji was straight up panting. For a meathead and a thug, he didn’t seem to be very active.

"Don't… worry about… me." Ryuji said between huffs. Jack snorted.

"You befriended a Gambit, you're always going to be worried about," he said, patting him on the back. "Let's go, rowdy boy." Ryuji gave him a look but stood up straight… well, straighter. They ran back into the foyer, the end clearly in sight, that’s exactly when things went wrong.

"You knaves again?" The king himself scowled at the group. He was flanked by two soldiers and a big golden motherfucker. "To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

"The school ain't your castle!" Ryuji stomped forward, as if he was the one protecting everyone else. "I've memorized their faces real good. You're goin' down!" Kamoshida's scowl turned into a twisted grin.

"It seems it's true when they say 'barking dogs seldom bite.' How far the star runner of the track team has fallen." Felix's eyebrows creased together and he looked at Ryuji. It made sense that he had once done sports… but what had happened?

"The hell are you gettin' at?" Ryuji growled.

"I speak of the 'Track Traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams." The grin looked so unsettling, almost inhuman. "Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your… selfish act." Ryuji glared with all his might, refusing to answer.

"Violence?" Felix mumbled aloud, curious as ever. Ryuji turned his face away immediately.

"What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all?" Kamoshida continued, taking joy in ripping into Ryuji. "He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever."

"We don't-" Jack started, interrupted by Ryuji.

"That's not true!" he yelled, his head in his hands.

"You've come along with this fool and it's going to get you killed… How unlucky of you." He turned his back on them. "Go. Kill them all. Don't sully my castle with garbage," He said dismissively as he walked away. The soldiers melted into shadows before them.

"Ryuji, move!" Morgana leapt in front, and Felix took his wrist and pulled him back before joining them.

"We've got this Ryuji, no worries," Jack said, spinning a pistol. Then he saw the shadows. "Why'd it have to be horses?! With horns!" he complained, getting ready for a fight.

"Ngh… We're surrounded!" Morgana pointed out, gritting their teeth.

"I mean, there's three of us, three of 'em… They're really surrounded and they just don't know it yet," Jack said, faking confidence.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you 'cause King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill 'cause that's what he wants!" the one in front of Felix roared, rearing up. It was unnerving hearing something speak without moving its mouth. And when it did move its mouth… Felix was reminded strongly of Gumby.

Unfortunately, one of the accursed nightmare horses almost took Morgana out right out of the gate, trampling them with their gross awful hooves. Thankfully, or not so thankfully, the other two focused on Felix and Jack. Jack did not like the attention, but was able to lasso one of them. But that didn't take it out. Felix tried the curse attack Morgana told him about once, a real cool move that activated at just a snap of his fingers, but lo and behold, it was resistant to that and he mentally berated himself.

"There's too many of them," Morgana grimaced. They were right. The other gross ugly horse that Morgana hadn't seen then nearly took them out where its companion had failed, but Jack took the hit for them at the last second.

He fell with a shout. Felix couldn't help it, his attention turned to his twin with concern—maybe that Devil Fruit from earlier would help? But in his moment of distraction, the other awful bastardous horse trampled him as well.

Soon enough all three of them were on the floor, and Jack didn't seem to be conscious anymore. Felix tried to get up, to maybe reach his brother, but a foot landed on his back.

"You piece of--" Morgana tried to get up, but a knight's boot landed on them. There seemed to be enough boots to go around, as even the unmoving Jack got one in the back. Felix looked over to Ryuji, who had fallen onto his knees.

"I bet you dragged them all here on a whim. Isn't that right?" Kamoshida's voice came from above Felix. It made him squirm a little just hearing it.

"No…" Ryuji murmured.

"Run-" Felix started but Kamoshida's foot pressed further into his back, making the wind come right out of his lungs.

"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly. How dare you raise your hand at me," Kamoshida spat, suddenly furious. "Have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice? It was only a short time, but even your tragically short memory should remember."

"Wasn't no practice!" Ryuji slammed the floor with his fists, "it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji accused, squeezing his eyes shut.

"It was nothing but an eyesore!" Kamoshida countered, his face twisting again into the anger that had flashed. "The only one who needs to achieve results is me!" He smirked, "That coach I got fired was hopeless, too. Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled for only breaking his star's leg."

Ryuji's eyes bulged open. "What?" But Kamoshida was on a roll and ignored Ryuji's interruption.

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!"

"Dammit… Am I gonna lose again?" Ryuji said, mostly to himself, "not only can I not run anymore… The track team is gone too 'cause of this asshole!" It sounded like Ryuji was about to cry.

"So that's why…" Felix whispered, trying to lift himself up again. Morgana tried as well, but they were both crushed down at the same time.

"Once these two are dealt with, you're next." Kamoshida looked positively unhinged, and he started to cackle.

"Ryuji!" Morgana called, trying to get his attention.

"Don't let him win!" Felix added, lifting up just enough for the cackling king to keep from stomping into him again.

"…You're right." He paused, his blazing eyes settled on Felix. "Everything that was important to me was taken by him. I'll never get 'em back!"

"Stay there and watch." Kamoshida ordered, that infuriating smirk back. "Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you."

"No." Ryuji stumbled to his feet again. "That's what you are." His hands clenched as he looked Kamoshida in the eyes. "All you think about is using people. You're the real scumbag!" He started walking towards Kamoshida, looking ready to deck him.

"What are you doing? Silence him!" Kamoshida ordered the guards.

"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" The strain on Ryuji's face suddenly increased.

**You made me wait quite a while.**

The deep voice came from everywhere and nowhere. Felix wasn't sure how he was hearing it, it felt quite the same as when he… met Arsene. It was definitely talking to Ryuji, as he suddenly started holding his head.

**You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact.** That's when Ryuji started screaming. It had taken much less time for Felix to start screaming when Arsene had forged his pact. _Ryuji is one tough son of a bitch_ , Felix thought dully.

**Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus…** The voice said, Ryuji fell back down to his knees. Even with the foot on his back, Felix reached a hand out towards him.

**I am thou, thou art I** … Felix knew it was almost over, but that the worst was still coming. **There is no turning back. The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!** A metal skull appeared on Ryuji's face.

"What can you do?" a Soldier said, moving to Felix with sword raised. "Cower in fear and watch!" Felix kept his eyes on Ryuji waiting-- His hands went to the skull mask, and he ripped it off quickly, making Felix wince at all the blood and what he knew was a painful experience. He screamed, and a blue pillar of power burst up around him. Its surge pushed the soldiers back, further and further.

When it dispersed, a ship had appeared behind Ryuji. It carried a skeletal pirate, who had a cannon for a hand and scimitars on his chest. Ryuji lifted up his head and there was his sharp smirk. It aimed the cannon at the soldier over Morgana and fired, blowing it the hell up.

"Ha… called it…" Jack said faintly from one side of the room. Morgana scampered over to him, paws glowing with a healing spell.

"Right on!" Ryuji crowed, looking down at the yellow gloves that now covered his hands. "Wassup, Persona." He looked up at the pirate behind him. "This effin' rocks!" Kamoshida took several steps backwards in fear, so Felix lifted himself up, his back still protesting, but he persevered.

"Now that I got this power, it's time for payback." Ryuji cracked his knuckles and joined the rest of them, ready for a battle. "Bring it!"

"Don't mock me, you brat!" The gold knight spoke, stepping forward. Its shadow form melted and it became… another knight, except red, and on a horse.

"Man I hate this castle." Jack said, rubbing his shoulder. There was a trickle of drying blood on his temple. Felix felt a resurgence of rebellious resolve course through him.

"What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifling matters!" it bellowed.

"Kamoshida's cognition ain't changin', right? Then I'll act like the troublemaker I am!" He grinned at the rest of their rag tag squad. "Let's do this, Captain Kidd!" Before they could act, the Knight summoned two more awful horned horses.

"Check this shit out." Ryuji smirked at Felix, then Captain Kidd looked at the horses, his eyes glinting. Then lightning came out of nowhere and hit them both, knocking them down and stunning them; but the knight still stood.

"Of course he gets cool lightning and I get this fuckin…" Jack grumbled as he made a motion, summoning needles of light. "Whatever the fuck." The needles struck and finished off the extras. The Guard Captain swung its sword at Jack in retaliation, but he jumped out of the way just in time, and the massive thing cracked the floor. Kamoshida yelled something about damaging his castle, but couldn't be heard over the noise of battle.

Morgana struck it with their slingshot, of all things, and it even almost fell, but it had time to raise its sword again, and it hit them all, hard. Jack was staggered and Morgana fell, but Ryuji took it like a champ, and Felix finally felled the bastard with a quick swipe from his dagger.

"I am… a loyal subject… of the glorious King Kamoshida… So why…" The group tensed for another attack, Ryuji reflexively stepping in front. "…have I lost?!" Ryuji rested the iron pipe he had on his shoulder, relaxing cockily.

"It just proves that Kamoshida ain't shit." He said, as the Shadow melted and the rest of the world faded back into view. Ryuji wilted, his hands falling onto his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Kamoshida stared at them, as if the situation hadn't sunk in yet.

"How 'bout that?!" Ryuji demanded. He was barely standing, yet he still challenged the King.

"Whoa… So Ryuji had the potential too…" Morgana stared at him, eyes wide.

"Totally called it. Felix, you heard me call it." Jack said almost as exhausted as Ryuji, who ignored them both.

"Even if you apologize now… I ain't forgivin' you!" He was still rearing for a fight even when he definitely wasn't in any shape to do so.

"I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand…" Somehow, even with the golden knight laying defeated, Kamoshida still smirked like he was winning. Felix grimaced. What a bastard. Kamoshida made a movement and a woman with blonde hair and a far too tiny bikini walked towards Kamoshida.

"Wh- Takamaki?!" Ryuji looked flabbergasted. Felix felt like he had seen her somewhere before… though he didn't think he'd ever seen someone in that kind of outfit outside of a magazine.

"Oh!" Morgana seemed way too pleased to see this woman. "Wha… What a meow-velous and beautiful girl!" The girl, Takamaki, clung to Kamoshida.

"What's going on?!" Ryuji demanded.

"Something seems off…" Felix said.

"I'm a little jealous." Jack said at the same time, earning a look from both Felix and Ryuji. "What? If I wore that outfit, it would be lodged in my crack. She looks photoshopped."

"But now that you mention it..." Ryuji looked at Felix, then back to Takamaki. "Why is she even here?!" They didn't have much time to question it, as Kamoshida turned and took her chin in his hand. "Hey! Let go of her, you perv!" Ryuji yelled, swiping at the air.

"How many times must I tell you until you understand?" Kamoshida turned slightly, looking at them from the corner of his eye. "This is MY castle-- a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me," his look warped into anger again and he turned fully towards them. "That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you."

Ryuji ignored him. "Takamaki! Say somethin'!"

"That girl isn't the real one… she's the same as those slaves-- a being made from Kamoshida's cognition of her!" Morgana said, trying to get it through to Ryuji again.

"Are you jealous?" Kamoshida asked, a lecherous grin spreading on his face, "well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you." Ryuji's fury was palpable, but for once he didn't say anything; maybe he was too tired to do so.

"Clean them up this instant!" With Kamoshida's order, three guards materialized out of the ground in front of them. Ryuji looked like he wanted to fight, but Felix didn't like those odds.

"We're out numbered," Felix said, grabbing Ryuji's arm gently and pulling him back away. He turned to protest, but was cut off by Morgana.

"Let's scram before we get surrounded!" Morgana ordered, taking a step back while keeping their eyes on the enemy.

"We're not gonna do anything and just run?!" Ryuji practically whined.

"We can't die here," Jack said for his twin. "We live to fight another fight or whatever."

"Thank god someone's got a level head," Morgana mumbled, despite Jack probably still being concussed. Ryuji looked at all of them, the grimace visible behind his mask.

"ngh… Fine." He let himself be pulled back. "We'll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us!" Unnervingly, Kamoshida began to laugh.

"I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here!" his face twisted disturbingly again, his expression a mix of anger and amusement. "Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life!" They could still hear his cackling as they escaped through the same ventilation window that they had used before.

Ryuji was panting when they stopped out by the gate. He finally looked down at his new outfit. "I don't remember changin' into this!"

"It looks good on you." Felix said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Should I be happy about that?" Ryuji asked, adjusting one of his belts. "Then again, it ain't as bad as either of yours."

"You mock but-" Jack was cut off by a voice from inside.

"Did you find them?!" They all tensed up, it sounded like one of the guards.

"Quiet!" Morgana ordered, getting lower to the ground.

"No. Search that way!" Another replied. The four of them stayed quiet, listening for more. Then Ryuji straightened suddenly.

"Wait, we're in deep shit!" He yelled in full panic.

"I said to be quiet!" They demanded, their tail stiffening.

"We might've gotten away here, but we're still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school," Ryuji said. He looked to Felix in panic.

"That's actually quite astute, Ryuji! However you can relax. The Kamoshida in reality can't possibly know about what happens here." They collectively heaved a sigh of relief. "A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed-- a side of one's personality they don't want to see."

"Sooo... we're okay?" Ryuji asked, looking for some extra clarification.

"Lemme put it this way, did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution?" Morgana reminded him. A slight smile grew on his face.

"All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is--"

"Wait," they interrupted him. "I guided you as promised. It's your turn to cooperate with me."

"Wait, we promised something?" Jack asked, voicing the confusion of the others around him.

"That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything." At their continued confusion, and now slightly annoyed expressions, Morgana continued. "Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form!" They sighed and looked down. "That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and--"

"Whoa, hold up. What're you goin' on and _on_ about? We never said anything about helpin' you out." Ryuji motioned between himself and Felix.

"Huh? Don't tell me…" They grimaced and looked around at all of them. "Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? Especially you!" Morgana pointed at Felix. "You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan?!"

"…Let me think about it?" Felix said, noncommittally. He honestly just wanted to go home and sleep. It had been a long day.

"Wha- the nerve!" Morgana said, stamping their little foot. "Is it because I'm not human? Because I'm like a cat? Is that why you're making a fool of me?!" they demanded.

"Hey." Jack captured their attention, stepping between them and Felix. "He said he'll think about it. That's not a no, but if you keep bugging him I'll make it a no."

"We're busy anyway!" Ryuji jumped in with gusto. "Thanks for everything, cat. You've got guts, bein' a cat and all!" He said, crouching to be almost on Morgana's level. "See you around!" His smile looked genuine as he patted their head before standing. Jack motioned them all towards the exit.

"Hey! What the hell?! Ugh, seriously! Why're you wrapping this up like everything's all hunky-dory?!" Morgana called after them before they went back into the real world. "Oh hell no! Get back here!" All of them could still hear their yelling as the world melted back into proper order.

\------

"Thank god. We're back," Ryuji sighed. "I dragged you around a lot, huh. Sorry guys." Jack shrugged and Felix leaned back on the wall behind him.

"No worries."

"It was actually kind of fun." Felix added, smiling slightly. Jack nudged him. "I-I mean the parts without the life threatening danger and the uh… awful, _awful_ torture stuff…" he added, looking sheepish.

"I'm dead tired…" Ryuji closed his eyes and let himself fall against the opposite wall. "How you holdin' up?"

"I could use a nap." Jack said, yawning and stretching.

"I'm exhausted." Felix added, slumping.

"I guess you don't really show it, huh?" He nudged Felix with his foot, not bothering to get off the wall. "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good!" His sharp grin returned.

"You remember those faces?" Jack asked.

"Duh! Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done." Ryuji lifted himself off the wall. "So… wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?"

"Sure, I'll-" Jack gave Felix a look. "-we'll help."

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji pumped his fist, then seemed to think twice. "Hey so, if you're thinkin' of lyin' low 'cause you got a record, I don't think that'll help…" Felix looked down immediately, hiding in his hair. Jack placed a hand on his back, raising an eyebrow at Ryuji. "Sorry… Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

"How'd that happen?" Jack asked, letting Felix relax for a moment. Ryuji folded his arms, leaning closer.

"Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!" Jack looked up sharply, looking from Ryuji to the school abruptly.

"But… why?" Felix asked, blinking. He hadn't done anything to Kamoshida yet… right?

"No one else besides a teacher could've leaked it that fast." Ryuji continued, nodding to himself. "It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club, that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with…" Ryuji paused for breath, looking so enraged that Felix had to reach out a put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Just like he did with me!" He sighed, his anger shifting to sadness. "No one'll take anything I say seriously." He shook his head.

"Hey." Felix said, making Ryuji look at him. "We take you seriously Ryuji." Jack tuned back into the conversation and nodded.

"Thanks…" Ryuji seemed to relax for just a moment, then he looked back at the school. "Still, those rumors about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seein' Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person there's no way I can just sit back!"

"Of course," the twins said in unison.

"I'm countin' on you! Don't worry; I'm hyped about this too!" He pumped his fist. Their elation was cut short by Ryuji's stomach grumbling, loudly.

"Oh… I haven't eaten anything since lunch." He looked a little sheepish, then an idea occurred to him. "It'd be weird splittin' off now, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?" He suggested.

"We don't super know the city well…" Felix offered, looking to Jack.

"Just follow me then." Ryuji said, grinning. "I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past!"

Ryuji took the twins to a ramen shop. There were way more options than either of them had seen in the country. Felix told his story to Ryuji, with occasional input from Jack. They left out a lot about their… colorful past.

"What?!" Ryuji yelled. "The hell, man! How much shittier can that asshole get?!" This outburst came after Felix explained how he had gotten a record.

"Calm down." Felix said gently, looking around the shop to make sure no one was now watching them. "It's in the past."

"Bullshit. He ruined your life." Jack said, staring into his bowl.

"Just hearin' your story makes me angry!" He took an angry slurp of ramen. "So… you left your hometown, and… you're livin' here now, huh?" Ryuji spoke through a mouth half filled. Felix nodded, getting back to his food as well.

"We might be more alike than I originally thought." Ryuji continued, looking a little sad.

"Maybe." Felix agreed.

"What did you do?" Jack asked. His joking smirk slowly growing on his face.

"I don't got a record like--" He stopped and ruffled his hair. "That's not the point." He lifted his bowl and chopsticks, giving himself time to think.

"I guess it's how we're treated like a pain in the ass by the people around us, like we don't belong." He sighed, letting Felix take a couple of bites. "I did something stupid at school before, too." He quickly shoved the rest of his bowl into his mouth. It looked like he didn’t want to talk about it.

"The place you're livin' now is in Yongen, right?" Ryuji asked, putting down the empty bowl. "It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home."

"Wait really?" Jack said, looking at his watch. "Shit. I told Sakura I'd do more at the shop."

"You barely touched your food though." Ryuji pointed out. Both of their bowls were substantially more full than his. He dumped more ginger into Felix's, as it was closer.

"What are you doing?" Felix asked, looking from the bowl to Ryuji.

"Just lemme do it. I gotta thank you for helpin' me." His sharp grin was back and Felix was sure his heart stopped. "Anyways, I got your backs like you've got mine from tomorrow on." Jack returned his grin, hitting Felix on the back to restart his brain.

"I'm just glad Felix won't be alone at school." Jack said, earning a look from his brother. "What? You were a total loner-loser before!"

"And hey, as long as we do something about Kamoshida, I'm sure we'll both feel better about bein' at school." They nodded, hopefully whatever plan Ryuji had hatched worked. Jack stood.

"I have to get back to the shop before Sakura rethinks our deal." He handed his bowl to Ryuji, who looked delighted to have more food.

"Oh! Before you leave, Tell me your number and Chat ID." He said, taking out his phone. "I'll also need yours Felix, so I can bug you during class."

"I'll see you at home." Jack ruffled Felix's hair before leaving. Ryuji ate some of Jack's bowl.

"We're gonna start right away tomorrow. First, let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves." His hand clenched on his chopsticks. "The volleyball rally's tomorrow, big 'ol jerk off for Kamoshida. Makes me wanna gag. But thanks to that, we got no classes in the afternoon and we can walk around unnoticed."

"I don't know if either of us can go _unnoticed_ …" Felix pointed out. They were kind of the rebels of the school at this point.

"Well… I guess we can work out the details tomorrow. For now though, you gotta eat more! There's tons of ginger here." Ryuji said, dumping another ball into Felix's bowl. Just looking at it made Felix's eyes water.

He said goodbye to Ryuji at the station and texted his brother. Jack had gotten a half-hearted earful from Sakura, but was working it off with all kinds of grunt work.

Sakura was sitting on one of the bar chairs when Felix finally arrived home. Jack waved at him from the sink, where he was washing dishes.

"You're home." Sakura almost looked… surprised. "I take it you actually went to school today?" Felix blinked in surprised.

"Of course."

"I guess you learned your lesson after what happened yesterday." He shrugged and looked back down at the crossword puzzle he was working on. "As long as you're not getting into trouble, it's fine by me."

Felix peered over his shoulder to look at the puzzle. He saw a six letter across that had been written and erased several times, if the worn state of the line was anything to go on. A six letter word for 'a person withdrawn into a life of religious seclusion'. It had an 'E' as the second letter…

"Hermit," Felix said, pointing to the line. "A six letter word for 'a person withdrawn into a life of religious seclusion'. It's her--"

"Anyway!" Sakura interrupted him. "I don't know what you've been up to, but trust me, you'll _both_ be gone if either of you start causing problems." He said, trying to look stern. Felix didn't think anyone could look stern in an apron and pink shirt. "In case you've forgotten, your life is not a free one right now."

Felix opened his mouth to respond, but his phone vibrated with a text tone. He mumbled a "yes, sir." before looking at Ryuji's texts.

**R.S.** -Hey, I decided to go ahead and message you.

-Can you see this?

**F.G.** -Yep.

**R.S.** -I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?

**F.G.** -Got it.

**R.S.** -You're a bro, man.

-Welp, seeya tomorrow!

-Let's save those guys who've been getting abused. You and me.

Felix couldn't decide if they were saving themselves, or just saving those guys together. He shook his head and put his phone away.

"Sheesh… is any of this getting through?" Sakura sighed to himself. "Just stay away from bad influences, okay?" He said, gruffly. Jack barely kept in a snort.

"Yes, sir," Felix said, ignoring his brother's mirth and heading past Sakura and towards the stairs.

"Hey," He got Felix's attention again. "Greek vowel, seven letters." He asked, looking at his crossword again.

"Omicron." Felix's answer came readily. Sakura smiled and filled out the last of the puzzle.

"I'm gonna head home for the night. I'll lock the store up, so don't go wandering out."

\----

Felix was about to get into bed when his phone went off. Ryuji had messaged him again.

**R.S.** -That thingy on your phones was some red eyeball icon, right?

**F.G.** -Right.

**R.S.** -We ended up at that weird place when we used this nav app, right?

-I found it on my phone too…

-I don't even remember installing it!

**F.G.** -That's creepy.

**R.S.** -For real. What is this thing?

-Think it's being downloaded on its own somehow?

-It's dangerous to use something without knowing what it is…

-But with it, we can go to that castle, right?

**F.G.** -Seems like it.

**R.S.** -Basically, it's gonna depend on how we use it.

-but first we gotta find evidence for the beatings.

-I'm counting on you, all right? Don’t go ditching school on me.

"Stop texting your boyfriend and go to bed," Jack said with a yawn, before turning over and facing the futon. Felix's whole face turned red with his blush.

"I-… H-he's not my b-boyfriend!" Felix protested.

"Yeah, and I'm the _fucking President_." Jack shot back, ending that last in English. "Get some sleep, you have school in the morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update schedule? What's that? The longer we do this the better I get at writing for Felix! (I'm not gonna promise any update we've been so sporadic, but ch. 9 is pretty close. I think I've read through it four separate times.)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	9. Buncha Sad Teens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin. Shujin Academy is in the running for the worst school ever, of all time.

When Felix opened his eyes again, he was staring at the rough stone ceiling of the velvet room. He only just smothered a sigh.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." Igor said as soon as Felix got up and approached the bars. He paused, giving Felix time to remember what they had last talked about. "What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?"

"Yeah…" He replied, looking around, taking in the cold stone and chains. It wasn't a pleasant form of accustomed.

"Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel." That wasn't what Felix would have called it. "Your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. But today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, haven't you?" Felix blinked.

"Do you mean Ryuji, or my twin?" He asked, perhaps he had already taken into account his twin, as they had supposedly "awoken to the power" at the same time.

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation-- Your twin?" Igor frowned at Felix, then looked to the Wardens in confusion.

"His twin, Jack Oliver Gambit, awakened to a Persona at the same time as the Inmate did." Justine flipped through her clipboard calmly as she spoke. All was quiet in the Velvet room for a long moment.

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well." Igor recovered quite gracefully, but if Felix wasn't mistaken there was a new furrow in his already furrowed brow.

That puzzled Felix. Igor made it seem like he knew everything there was to know about everything. In fact, Felix thought Igor delighted in keeping information from him. Seeing him thrown off his rhythm was odd.

"That said, I am not advising you to form superficial relationships," Igor droned on. "Relationships born of frivolity serve no purpose. Rather, a ring of those who would lend you their strength, by morals or faith. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well."

"Personas are the strength of heart. The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain." Justine explained, turning towards Felix.

"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn't." Caroline tapped her baton on the floor. "You better _try_ to act like a likeable person."

"Well, you will understand it all in due time… Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation." The more Igor spoke the more Felix felt like an addict being forced into rehab.

"Now, this conversation's over! Get lost, Inmate!" Caroline demanded, glaring at him. He took a step back from the bars and the Velvet room faded before his eyes.

\---

"How annoying-- we've barely started the school year, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally?" Felix overheard a first-year talking to another. "And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us." He said, in a defeated tone.

"We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!" The other student sounded entirely too excited about taking one to the face.

"Yeah, okay. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?" The First-year was surprisingly sharp. Felix shook his head and headed to his class.

\---

"Okay, listen up everyone." Ms. Kawakami started. "The volleyball rally is today. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. Got it?" Felix took in a fortifying breath. This wasn't going to be as dangerous as their foray into the castle, but he was somehow more nervous about it. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't wearing the outfit. Maybe it was the thought of doing this without his brother.

But when Ryuji met him in the gym and they claimed a corner together, Felix felt a little better. They watched as Kamoshida's hit landed on a student who toppled from the force. Felix distinctly heard Ryuji growl.

"Man, you've still got it, Coach!" One of the teachers said, high fiving Kamoshida. He grinned, preening like a peacock.

"Thanks. Let's go for one more!" He ordered, keeping up the humble teacher façade. The kids on the team across from the teachers looked discouraged, and tired. The ones outside of the team seemed supportive though.

Except for Takamaki, who was currently the center of Ryuji's attention. "Still sticks out… hasn't changed a bit." He mumbled, dragging Felix from his daydreaming. Stretching his arms above his head, Ryuji yawned. "Pretty boring." He favored Felix with one of his secretive smirks. "Right?" Felix returned Ryuji's grin with a smile of he own and bobbed his head in assent.

The commotion from the game increased in volume, catching both of their attention. Kamoshida leaped for the ball, and spiked it…

Right into the face of a student. The boy fell to the floor with the force, hitting his head again. Thankfully he was already unconscious, but even from their spot at the side of the court Felix could see blood trickling from the boy's forehead. Felix made to get up, but Ryuji's hand on his arm stopped him and he sat back down. Kamoshida ducked under the net.

"Sorry!" He called, crouching down to the student. Felix was surprised by how genuinely concerned Kamoshida sounded. "Hey, are you all right?!" The boy didn't respond. "Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!" He ordered, picking him up. Another student came forward and helped him up all the way.

Felix finally got a look at Kamoshida's face. It didn't look wrong at first, but then he spotted the slight smile on Kamoshida's face. It made Felix shiver. Ryuji grasped the volleyball next to him.

"He'll pay soon enough…" He threw the volleyball somewhat at random.

"All right, let's resume the match!" Kamoshida ran back to his side of the room. Felix squinted. Normal people wouldn't do that; go on with the game after injuring someone. But nobody said anything, they just went right back to playing.

Ryuji pulled Felix to the Courtyard after the game.

"That asshole's actin' like he's the king of the friggin castle," He growled, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Get to know each other better, my ass. This assembly is just an excuse for him to stroke his ego." Becoming angrier, Ryuji jiggled his leg in frustration. "And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag!" He let out a breath, running out of steam.

"It's weird that no one said anything..." Felix muttered, mostly to himself.

"Hm? Well, anyways." Ryuji didn't hear Felix, but he seemed to calm down. "Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. All the members of the team should be here today." His fire restored, he glared at the floor like it was painted with Kamoshida's face. "I'll be sure to find someone to spill about your physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole."

"Where are you searching?" Felix asked. He couldn't remember any of the faces, and probably wouldn't be able to bring them into his mind's eye if he tried.

"The first one that popped out to me was a guy from Class D, so let's start from there." At Felix's somewhat blank expression, Ryuji smiled like he was holding in a laugh. "That's your class." His mirth didn’t last long. "Hopefully you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so…"

"Uh… Ryuji," Felix said, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, right. You're kinda in the same boat. I'm sure we'll still get something." It was almost impossible to kill Ryuji's excitement.

\---

Ryuji's info had been correct, and the guy they were looking for was in the classroom. He looked… well, like he was in pain. Not only did he have a bandage wrapped from his chin to the top of his head, he also had a bandage over his eye.

"What?" Was his only word to Felix when he walked up to him. "Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you, transfer." Felix frowned. They were in the same class, the guy _had_ to know his name. The guy's good eye drifted to see Ryuji. "You too, Sakamoto?! What do you guys want?"

"How did you get injured?" Felix asked carefully, trying not to rile the poor man up.

It didn't work.

"It's from practice! What does that have to do with anything?" He exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest in a clear defensive gesture.

"Kamoshida did it to you, right?" Ryuji folded his arms, looking more intimidating than he probably meant to with his bare arms. "Look, I ain't gonna tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us about how Kamoshida's abusin' you."

"-I don't know what you're talking about!" The kid squeaked nervously. His good eye darted from his interrogators, and the doors they were blocking.

"Are you afraid?" Felix thought he was playing "good cop" quite well for him not having rehearsed it beforehand.

"I'm not!" The kid protested. "You guys are talking complete nonsense!"

"Don't try n' hide it! We already know!" Ryuji's patience was clearly wearing thin. The volleyball player's eye widened.

"You… You know? You have proof?" That stopped both of them. Felix looked to Ryuji, hoping he would say something reassuring, or just anything at all.

"Well, uh… I…" He started several times, but it was obvious they didn't have any proof.

"This is ridiculous," the volleyball player looked away from them, as if the floor had suddenly become incredibly interesting. "Please, leave me alone. You're really bothering me!"

"…All right, that's enough. C'mon, let's go." Ryuji said, motioning for Felix to follow him. They exited the classroom and went to the end of the somewhat empty hallway.

They decided to split up, for expediency as well as a way to put the victims at ease. Ryuji tried to tell Felix the names of the guys he recognized but it was no good.

"Honestly I'll just be on the lookout for bandaged and scared kids," Felix said, shaking his head.

The next student he talked to seemed to think Felix was gonna pull a knife on him and wouldn't talk to him. Disheartened, Felix felt his phone vibrate with a text. He didn't look at it right away, walking away from the other students first.

Once again in a near-empty hallway, he let his head fall back against the wall. After a moment of just standing there, he pulled out his phone.

 **R.S.** -How's it going?

 **F.G.** -He refused. Pretty adamantly too.

 **R.S.** -Him too…? Man, everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida.

-But I still got a lead. A first-year, new member.

-He just joined, so he might not be all wrapped up in Kamoshida's web of bullshit yet.

-Pretty sure he's in class 1-B

-Try the first-year classrooms. They're up on the third floor!

Unlike the other two, the first-year was much easier to find. He had a wrapping around his left wrist and a bandage on his cheek. Felix approached him.

"Whaddya want?" The mummified student asked; not very polite, but maybe that was a good thing.

"I need information." Felix started, he'd always wanted to say that. Made him sound a little like a detective.

"What's that supposed to mean? Look, don't wrap me up in whatever weird stuff you're getting yourself into. Besides, Mr. Kamoshida doesn't want us talking to sketchy people like you." Felix thought that was a little ironic, as Kamoshida was the sketchiest person alive. "If he saw me here, he'd totally give me his special coaching, just like he did with Mishima-senp-- O-oh, uh… Never mind! Forget I said anything!"

"Special coaching?" Felix asked, more to himself than to the first-year.

"P-please… just stop talking to me… Ask someone else if you wanna know anything more." He said, looking around, as if he was checking if anyone had heard him slip up. Felix opened his mouth to maybe give the kid some encouragement, but the PA system crackled to life.

" **Attention, Attention.** " Felix looked up like someone looking for UFOs. " **All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today.** " He left the first-year, his phone buzzing with a text from Ryuji, probably.

 **R.S.** -Dammit, we're outta time. How'd it go?

 **F.G.** -No good.

-What does this guy do? Daily brainwashing?

 **R.S.** -So you didn't have any luck either…

-Probably? The way those guys act ain't natural.

-Mkay, let's regroup for now. See ya in the courtyard?

 **F.G.** -Be there in a second.

True to his word, Felix got down to the courtyard in a flash, and was examining the vending machine. The label on the Water of Rebirth had to be wrong…

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Felix almost jumped out of his skin at suddenly being addressed by Takamaki.

"Go for it." He replied, trying to get his heart back into working order.

"It'll be quick." She looked down, as if getting her thoughts in order. "What's with you? Like, you lied about why you were late the other day." She paused, her eyebrows furrowing. "And there's that weird rumor about you too…"

"Which rumor?" Felix asked, genuinely not sure which one she had heard. There were several floating around at this point.

"Whaddya want with him?" Ryuji asked, coming up on the pavilion like a spiky-haired guard dog.

"Right back at you. You're not even in our class." Takamaki pointed out, placing her hand on her hip.

"W-we just happened to get to know each other." He toed the stones with his left leg.

"What're you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?"

Both Felix and Ryuji were blindsided by this and stared wide eyed at her.

"Huh?!" Ryuji said, eloquent as always. He blinked, then glared at her. "I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all." He practically spat the _buddy-buddy_.

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!" She said, dropping her hands. Felix looked between them, not sure if he should intervene.

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away." Ryuji looked even angrier, almost how he'd looked in the other world. It also surprised Takamaki.

"Behind my back? What's that supposed to mean?" She stared at him, obviously confused. Ryuji's focus switched briefly as he turned to look at Felix. His expression softened and he sighed.

"You wouldn't get it." He said sadly, obviously thinking of the Takamaki they had seen before.

"People are already talking about you two." Takamaki said, taking Ryuji's attention again. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you." Her expression turned sad, and she looked to the floor. "I'm warning you, just in case. That's all."

Takamaki didn't look back at Felix or Ryuji when she left. Ryuji watched her, until she disappeared from Felix's view. He looked down and toed the ground some more.

"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?" He complained, kicking a rock away.

"Oh _she's_ aggressive?" Felix smirked. "She seemed annoyed." he observed, slipping his hands back into his pockets.

"She's been like that since middle school." Ryuji explained, looking up from the ever entertaining ground. "Whatever. That's not what we're here to talk about." Ryuji was a master at changing the subject. "I had no luck on my end. What about you?"

"The first-year you told me to talk to let something slip about Mishima and some kind of 'special coaching'." Felix explained, pushing some of his hair out of his face. Ryuji's frown deepened.

"Special 'coaching', huh?" He folded his arms, thinking for a second. "That's probably true. I always see the guy covered in bruises. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then."

They barely caught the guy as he was walking towards the entrance. Felix hadn't recognized the name, but Mishima was a kid in his class. Poor guy was always covered in bruises, and his left arm was wrapped in bandages.

"Hey," Ryuji managed to stop him. "Got a second?" Mishima took a step back, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Sakamoto?" He then saw Felix approaching. "And Gambit, too?!" Somehow, he was more surprising to see him than Ryuji.

"C'mon, we just wanna chat." Ryuji said, not sounding at all friendly. "Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?"

"Certainly not!" Mishima said it, but not convincingly. Ryuji folded his arms again, being intimidating without even meaning to.

"What're you talkin' all polite for? We saw him spike you today. Right in the face." Ryuji pointed at said face. Mishima flinched.

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" Mishima countered weakly.

"Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got," Ryuji pressed, the signs he was pushing too hard going completely over his head.

"They're from practice!" Mishima insisted.

"Is he forcing you to keep quiet?" Felix asked, his voice lowered to keep their conversation between them. Mishima looked away from them again, fidgeting with his schoolbag.

"That's…"

Whatever Mishima was going to say was interrupted by Kamoshida walking up to them. Felix clenched his teeth, trying very hard to keep a neutral expression on his face.

"What's going on here?" Kamoshida barely acknowledged Ryuji and Felix's presences. "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" Felix recognized the familiar gleam behind the teacher's eyes as the same kind of look the King had had.

"I-I'm not feeling well today…" Mishima said, his unoccupied hand going to his chest. Felix felt even worse for him.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then." Kamoshida said, dismissively. "You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice." Ryuji tensed at the hard words and moved himself between Kamoshida and Mishima like a shield.

"Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji growled. Kamoshida acted as if he wasn't even there.

"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?" There was a certain menace hidden behind his smile. It made Felix uneasy, and seemed to steal the last bit of fight out of Mishima.

"I'll go." Mishima mumbled.

"As for you," Kamoshida finally acknowledged Ryuji, "I'd watch my tone if I didn’t want to be expelled."

"Bastard." Ryuji spat, looking away. Sensing that Ryuji was no longer a threat, Kamoshida's eyes fell onto Felix.

"Same goes for you." He hadn't looked mad until then. "Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?" He demanded, the force of his ire making Felix bend his head.

"I was just leaving." Felix said, through gritted teeth.

"Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my practice." His glare was suddenly replaced by a smug smile. "All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all." Felix winced.

"That's _your_ goddamn fault." Ryuji barked. Kamoshida didn't rise to his challenge. Instead, he turned back to Mishima; putting a possessive hand on the kid's shoulder. Mishima looked impossibly small.

"Let's go, Mishima." His hand tightening painfully on Mishima's shoulder. "Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn… Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. Get with the program!" That struck a chord in Felix. Kamoshida had been a dick from the moment that they had met, but that was just _incorrect_. School was to fucking learn. It didn’t have anything to do with who was 'worthy' or not.

"Yes, sir," Mishima responded hollowly as the hand on his shoulder squeezed in a sick parody of a reassuring gesture and let go.

Ryuji and Felix just watched as Kamoshida strode away, for all the world like the king he thought he was. There was nothing else they could do.

"That asshole… is gonna pay for this!" Ryuji glared at said asshole's retreating back as Felix silently fumed.

"There's no point." Mishima replied unexpectedly. Ryuji's head snapped towards him. He still looked angry.

"Huh?!"

"Proving that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless." It would have been a triumph that Mishima had admitted to it, but his words… did not inspire hope. "Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it." Felix stared at Mishima.

"No way…" Felix breathed, horrified.

"This has gotta be a joke…" Ryuji said, his eyes widening, looking just as horrified as Felix felt.

"Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through." Mishima glared at the two of them. "Shouldn't you, of all people, know that nothing's going to help?!" Ryuji jiggled his leg, looking away from Mishima. With that distraction, Mishima ran away. Felix prayed that he was not going to practice, but he followed where Kamoshida had gone.

"Dammit…" Ryuji said, kicking his leg up. Felix sighed, taking his glasses off.

"What now?" He asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose, suddenly very tired.

"I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's… all I can do." Ryuji said, looking like a kicked puppy. It seemed both of them were out of ideas.

\---

Felix was greeted by Jack as soon as he returned to Leblanc. Sakura had his twin doing dishes again, but he left his customary seat quickly after Felix arrived, leaving the boys alone.

Felix summed up what had happened at school that day while Jack finished up the dishes. He let himself fall onto Leblanc's bar once it was finished. He had been running around all day, talking to people, and was honestly exhausted.

"Wow, no wonder this school was willing to take you. It's a mess." Jack joked, wiping his hands on a towel before hitting Felix with it.

"Any school should be proud to have me…" Felix said snootily, as they headed upstairs. "I just… wish there was more we could do." He sighed, heading for his bed so he could flop down onto it.

"I wish that Mishima kid had been more helpful." Jack said with a shrug, plopping onto the futon himself.

"Jack, he's our age,  you can't call him a 'kid'." Felix pointed out.

"I call you a kid, kid." Jack mocked, only to see that Felix had fallen asleep.

 **R.S.** -Hey, is Felix asleep? He isn't responding to me.

 **J.G.** -Yeah. He told me everything tho.

-What's up?

 **R.S.** -It don't make any damn sense.

-The principal and even the parents know about the abuse.

-Why ain't anybody speaking up?!

 **J.G.** -They're afraid of Kamoshida, obviously.

 **R.S.** -That can't be the only thing keeping both the principal and the parents quiet though…

-It's basically because Kamoshida made the volleyball team famous, yeah?

-Even so, that don't give him the right to do whatever he wants!

-He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure.

-And that follower of his doesn't give one single shit…

 **J.G.** -Kamoshida has a follower?

 **R.S.** -Ann Takamaki. Felix and I ran into her in the courtyard today. Uhh, you know, the model he had on his arm in the other world.

 **J.G.** -Ah. The jailbait kitty girl.

 **R.S.** -Yeah.

-Ugh! What a load of bull!

-I can't let it end like this.

-I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow.

-I ain't giving up!

 **J.G.** -I wish I could be there to help.

-I'm rooting for you two.

\---

Felix quickly decided that he hated walking to school alone. Two girls in front of him were talking about Kamoshida, and the rumors around the PE faculty office. It refilled his resolve to do something… They _had_ to do _something._

School was surprisingly boring, and Felix couldn't bring himself to focus on it. This wasn't helped by Ryuji.

 **R.S.** -So about witnesses…

-I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki.

 **F.G.** -But she's not on the team…

 **R.S.** -Just hear me out.

-Obviously we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team.

-I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them.

-Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui.

-I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.

-That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.

 **F.G.** -I don't think Takamaki likes either of us very much right now.

 **R.S.** -It'll be hard getting her to help us…

-Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with.

After school Felix was headed towards the courtyard. He was blocked by a girl looking at her phone. She looked pretty beat up, a pretty prominent bruise on her face. He could only assume she was on the volleyball team.

"Excuse me…" He said quietly, but then realized that he didn't really have a plan to say after that.

"What?" She put her phone away and saw him. "Oh… I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry…" Felix shook his head immediately, hoping to put her at ease.

"Are you alright?" He asked instead. She was obviously injured. But the dead look in her eyes spoke of a deeper wound than the visible.

"Huh?" She looked down further as she adjusted her partially rolled up sleeves. "Um, well…" She finally looked up to his face. He tried to give her a reassuring smile. She cocked her head, studying him. "Hm, you don't look familiar."

"Oh, um. I'm Felix Gambit." He introduced himself, knowing that she would probably immediately run.

"That transfer student from Class D?" That was the most mild response he'd gotten yet. Felix nodded. "Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?" She looked down, rubbing her right arm.

"W-why do you say th-that?" Felix sputtered out, surprised into speaking without thinking about it. She looked back at him.

"Well, I've helped with a similar situation before…" She paused, closing her eyes. "My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks." She looked up, and spotted the clock. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to run on like that."

"No worries." Felix said, still trying to soothe her.

"Anyway, I have to go to practice… I'll see you around." She walked away, but by the time Felix had realized that that had probably been Suzui, Ann's friend, she was gone.

Ryuji was already in the pavilion they usually met in and fidgeting when Felix arrived.

"Dammit. What the hell…" He grumbled.

"Did you find someone?" Felix asked hopefully.

"Is that what it looks like?" He snapped. He slammed his fist into the vending machine next to him. "All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something!" The punch seemed to take away most of his anger. "At this rate… it looks like we'll have to go to him directly."

"We should have started with that." Felix said, "If it's even _possible_."

"I know…" Ryuji said, looking at Felix with those sad puppy eyes. He shook his head, his fire returning. "But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this!"

"How about a sneak attack?" Felix suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. An idea was just starting to form.

"That'd be fine if we could do it without gettin' caught, but… if we did, we'd be seriously done for." He sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Ya got any other ideas?" Felix snorted.

"We call the cops." It was obviously a joke.

"What do we-" Felix snapped his fingers as his idea finally came fully into his head. A slow grin spread across his features… it honestly looked a little unsettling.

"Let's punish the King." Felix said with evil relish. Ryuji's eyes widened.

"The king…? You mean that other world's Kamoshida?" Ryuji's eyes stayed bugged as he stared at Felix.

"No, I mean Felipe VI of Spain. Of course I mean Kamoshida." Felix replied sarcastically. Ryuji scratched his head, ruffling his spiked hair.

"I didn't think of that, but is there any meaning to--"

"I finally found you." came a familiar voice from nearby. Felix and Ryuji looked around, but couldn’t see the source of the voice.

"You say something?" Ryuji asked, distractedly. Felix shook his head. A black cat leapt up onto the table.

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you." It sounded like the cat was the one talking.

"That voice…" Ryuji had to take a step back in surprise. "Is that you, Morgana?!"

"How dare you up and leave me the other day!" They yelled, accusingly.

"The cat's talkin'?!" Ryuji stared at Morgana, trying to wrap his head around it. Morgana turned dramatically, glaring in the way only cats can.

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two."  They hissed, glaring specifically at  Ryuji.

"Oh! You came to our world!" He stared at Morgana, impressed about what seemed to be such a minor thing. "Does that mean you've got a phone?!" Ryuji examined Morgana more closely, trying to find where they could possibly be hiding a phone. He got swatted at for his trouble.

"You don't need one when you're at my level." Morgana preened. "…Though I did get pretty lost making my escape though." They conceded, washing their face with a paw.

"That aside, why can you talk?! You're a cat!" Ryuji demanded.

"How should I know?!" Morgana scratched their head with a back foot.

"You hearin' this?" Ryuji pointed accusingly at Morgana as he looked up to ask Felix, needing assurance that he wasn't crazy. Felix couldn't resist teasing him.

"Meow?" He asked, tilting his head to the side while making the 'nya' motion with his hand.

"This is no time to be jokin' around!" He sounded so frazzled that Felix's smile dropped.

"Sorry. Morgana might be just what we need though." He pointed out, slipping his hands into his pockets again, habitually tapping Jack's lockpicks that he had stolen that morning. The school wasn't prone to random frisking, and the familiar weight helped ground him.

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses." Morgana's tail curled lazily back and forth, broadcasting just how smug they were.

"Oh, shuddup." Ryuji replied, slumping over further.

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida." Morgana boasted. They turned to look at Felix with their unnervingly blue eyes. "You were pretty close to the solution just a moment ago."

"Quiet down." Felix stopped Morgana before they could elaborate, his eyes on two teachers that were passing them. Ryuji noticed the same teachers half a moment after Felix did.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?" One of the grumbled loudly.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" The younger one asked, looking around. Morgana crouched down in 'cat-loaf' position, sheepishly.

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around." The older teacher grumbled again.

Ryuji straightened. "Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?" He was still watching the teachers.

"Looks like it." Morgana shrugged, or really, did the cat approximation of a shrug.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Ryuji looked away, scratching his head. He thought for a moment, then looked back to Morgana. "Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier… is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic…" They replied. Even with no eyebrows, they still managed to imply one arched brow.

"This probably isn't the best place." Felix said quickly, glancing to the teachers again. "We can't have you walking around either though…" He rubbed his chin in thought.

"Here," Ryuji scooped Morgana up, making them meow in surprise. "stick 'em in your bag for now. Should be just small enough to fit!" Their eyes went wide and they started struggling. Ryuji didn't have a problem holding them though.

"How dare you treat me like--"

\---

Felix happily let Morgana out of his bag once they reached the rooftop. He didn't want them damaging any of the books he kept in there.

"Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana complained, stretching their limbs out. "And why do you keep so many books in there?!" They demanded, glaring at Felix. He blushed and hid behind his hair.

"I like to read…" He mumbled, trying to keep his rebel image up. Ryuji looked at him for a moment, and the smile on his face told Felix that the tough guy image wasn't fooling anyone. Then he turned his attention back to the cat.

"You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" He asked, putting them back on track.

"It has to do with what Felix said earlier." Morgana nodded towards Felix. "You'll need to attack his castle." They smiled smugly at the students in front of them.

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked, his leg bouncing impatiently.

"The castle is the desire deep in his heart, even if he doesn't know what goes on in there. Thus, if the castle disappears it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida." Morgana explained, sitting down primly, paws crossed.

"What'd happen?" Ryuji spoke before Felix could ask "how".

"If it's just a manifestation of desires, destroying the castle… would remove those desires?" Felix thought aloud.

"Precisely!" Morgana cheered.

"For real?! H-he's gonna turn good?!" Ryuji asked, his eyes widening. The elation fell from his eye quickly. "But… is that really gettin' back at him?"

"Erasing a Palace is essentially forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain." Morgana explained at length, lifting a paw. "Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real?! That's possible?" Ryuji's excitement returned and he grinned at Felix.

"Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement." Morgana continued, obviously quite pleased with themself.

"That's amazing! You are one incredible cat!" Ryuji cheered.

"True, except for the cat part!" Morgana could complain even while receiving a compliment apparently.

"So, how do we get rid of the Palace?" Felix asked, when looked like Morgana wasn't going to offer the information on their own.

"By stealing the Treasure held within," Morgana replied. That raised more questions than it answered.

"Stealing?" The look on Ryuji's face told Felix that he had never stolen anything in his life. Adorable.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all." Morgana stood up and stretched. "If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?" All eyes were suddenly on Felix, making him break out into a cold sweat.

"Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses…" Ryuji said, meaningfully.

"You're right." Felix said to Ryuji, looking down. He then turned to Morgana and nodded. "Let's do it."

"Good." They seemed pretty pleased, and Felix was about to move on when they spoke again. "Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you." They pawed at the ground. "If we erase a Palace, the person's distorted desires fade… as well as all other desires…"

"What're you gettin' at?" Ryuji asked, not quite catching on.

"If all those yearnings vanish…" Felix started, catching on to what they were saying. "They could shut down entirely." He looked gravely at Ryuji. "They could die."

"They might die?!" He yelled, looking between the two. Morgana nodded in confirmation. "Would their death be our fault?"

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" was their response. Ryuji ruffled the back of his head and exhaled in a puff.

"…What do you think?" He asked, once again looking to Felix.

"I guess we'll have to risk it," Felix replied, fiddling with some of his hair.

"For real?!" Ryuji gasped.

"Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out." Morgana said, rolling their eyes. Felix frowned.

"That's not the point!" Ryuji stomped his foot by them, making them jump. "If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida." He explained hotly.

"Isn't this your only option?" Morgana countered. After a moment, they shook their head. "I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then." They ran off and Ryuji turned to Felix, wincing.

"Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing… Dammit!" Ryuji said. "I'll try and see if I can figure out another way… C'mon, let's get outta here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are the chapter titles getting worse? Absolutely. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Hewwo Ann-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamoshida causes even more trouble. This time, however? Much, much worse trouble.

Felix heard his phone vibrate and took his phone out. It was a group text, sent to Ryuji and himself, from Jack.

**J.G.** -So how's the investigation?

The grouptext was named "Fancy Lads Inc." Felix smirked and shook his head. Ryuji answered the text before he could.

**R.S.** -I heard something that got my attention.

-About that Suzui girl. Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida.

-If they're true, it's no wonder I couldn't get her to talk.

-Still, something about that doesn't seem right.

**F.G.** -What do you mean?

**R.S.** -It's just impossible.

-I've known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school.

-There's just no way Kamoshida's their type, y'know?

**J.G.** -What? Their type isn't "grown-ass man"?

-Whodathunkit??

**F.G.** -Yeah. Rumors are almost never correct.

**R.S.** -I suppose you'd know that better than anyone.

-I wonder where those rumors came from.

-Well. I'll try asking around some more.

Felix sighed to himself and slid his phone into his pocket. His mind was clouded with all the information Morgana had thrown at him earlier. It wasn't that he liked Kamoshida, the guy was a certified shit bag. But he wasn't at peace with the idea of maybe killing someone. Ryuji was the one who had real skin in the game anyway, and if he wasn't --

"Will you please give it a rest?! I told you, I'm not feeling up to it…" Felix was pulled out of his thoughts by Takamaki yelling into her phone. "Wait, what?! That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?!" Another pause. "This has nothing to do with Shiho! Ah…" She took her phone away from her ear, clearly hung up on. Takamaki watched for a moment, then crumpled. She sat curled up in the middle of the subway.

She mumbled something to herself. Felix approached her without hesitation. When she registered who he was, Takamaki stood up swiftly and stepped away.

"Wait… Were you listening?" She looked hurt.

"Not on purpose." Felix said shyly, regretting his instinct.

"Haven't you heard of privacy?" She demanded. Felix hid behind his hair, and Takamaki was silent for a moment. "No, I was out of line. Sorry." An awkward silence passed between them.

"So how much did you hear..?" She asked finally, eyeing him hesitantly.

"Something about your friend." Felix didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. She looked away, towards the ground.

"Shiho…" She shook her head and looked back up at him. "It's nothing at all." Or rather, she tried to say that, but tears started to fall before she had finished her sentence; making her words squeak out at the end.

Takamaki vigorously wiped her face then dashed away. Felix watched her go for exactly half a second before he started after her. He couldn't just leave her like that, he wouldn't leave anyone like that.

Felix's longer legs made him catch up with her quickly, but he cursed how little he worked out and how little he knew the station. He might have lost her, if it hadn't been for her hair. When she stopped, she glared at him.

"Stop following me! Just leave me alone!" She ordered, tears still shining in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" It was an inane question, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say to a crying woman he just run down.

"Why?" Takamaki demanded. "Why are you even worried about me?!" Her emotions bubbled over again in the form of more tears.

"Let's just… go somewhere safe." Felix offered. He wasn't a fan of how many people were walking around them. He felt their stares on him at all times.

"What the heck?" She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I really don't get you." She said that, but motioned him to follow her, and she led them to the Big Bang Burger. Felix knew of the burger chain… He had just never been there.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you." Ann said, gritting her teeth. Ann had expressed her dislike of being addressed by her proper name. Made her think she was in trouble. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "It was just an argument."

"With a teacher?" Felix prompted, she startled and looked at him again.

"So you heard everything…" Ann took another breath, propping her elbows up on the table and resting her head on the palm of her hand. A deceptively bored expression. "You've heard the rumors, haven't you? About… me and Mr. Kamoshida." She started messing with the napkin by her water glass. "Everyone says we're getting it on. But… That's so not true!"

"I don't take much stock in rumors." Felix spoke softly, not willing to interrupt whatever she wanted to say. She smiled briefly, still looking away from him.

"That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number for the longest time." Ann said as if the words pained her, it probably did. "He told me to go to his place after this." She stopped fiddling and grabbed the napkin, crumpling it in anger. "You know what it means."

Ann took a deep breath and let her hands fall beneath the table.

"If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off the team. I've been trying to… stick it out. For Shiho's sake…" She sounded like she was holding back tears as she slumped back against the plush seat. "I can't take it anymore." Felix opened his mouth, but couldn't think of what to say, so he shut it with a clack. "I've had enough of this! I hate him!" Ann cried, the tears starting to spill down her cheeks. Felix really didn't like to see people cry. He hated _more_ that he had no idea how to make her stop.

"Shiho's my best friend." Tears were pouring down her face now and Felix swallowed, trying not to cry himself. "She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school!" She looked at him finally, and the absolutely desolate look on her face made Felix's heart break. "Tell me… What should I do?" Felix's hands tightened on his knees. How could he know?

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Ann said, coming back to herself and wiping away her tears again. "It's not your problem." She took a drink of water and several deep breaths. "What am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before."

"Maybe that's why?" Felix suggested. "Maybe you just needed an outside source to tell your problems to." That was a big reason why Felix was glad Jack wasn't _also_ dealing with the bullshit of Shujin Academy.

"You might be right." She admitted, staring into her glass as if it might give her next week's quiz answers. "You're so weird. Usually everyone just ignores me." That got her thinking and she looked Felix in the eyes again. "Are you really the bad person all the rumors say you are? You… really don't seem the type."

"I'm bad to the bone." Felix said, smiling slightly.

"I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations." Ann said, a little bit of laughter bubbling out of her. Her expression turned sad again and Felix's half smile dropped. "You seemed lonely-- almost like you didn't belong anywhere. We're the same in that regard." She thought for a second. "Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you."

"Misery loves company I suppose." Felix offered, looking into his own glass. Sadly it didn't hold the answers, but it was better than trying to squint through the sun's rays to see Ann.

"Is there really no way for me to help Shiho?" Ann mumbled, leaning further on her elbow. "I wish he'd just change his mind. Like, forget about me, and everything." She looked up and was reminded that she had an audience. Flopping back against the plush seating, she tried to look carefree. "As if something like that would ever happen."

"It _could_." Felix said with a shrug. Hearing Ann's problem made him want to change Kamoshida's heart more. He'd have to tell Ryuji and Jack all that had-- oh shit. _Jack_. Felix suddenly sat straight up.

"--for a serious response." Ann was saying as Felix zoned back in. "But I do feel a bit better now." She let out a more confident breath. "I'm gonna head home." She grabbed her glass and her bag, but stopped before she left.

"Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay?" Yeah but, Jack didn't count as anyone, right? He's practically just Felix 2.0. "I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida." She stood and thanked him politely before she vanished out the door.

Felix didn't stick around very much longer after Ann left. He arrived back at Leblanc to see Sakura in the same bar stool as always working on crosswords. However, Jack didn't seem to be around.

"You're late. Where have you been?" He asked, suspicious as always.

"A friend of mine was in distress." Felix responded. He didn't know if Ann would call him a friend or not, but it still wasn't technically a lie. Sakura gave him a look but he seemed to accept it.

"You haven't been hanging around any bad influences, have you?" He asked instead. Felix blinked in surprise, then started fiddling anxiously with a bit of his hair. Ryuji wasn't a bad influence…

"Actually, I've made friends." Two friends was better than the none he had before.

"Huh." There was a mischievous quirk to Sakura's lips. "They've gotta be pretty strange to want to spend time with you." It turned serious in no time. "Just be careful who your friends are, if you don't want them ruining your life."

They were quiet for a moment, as Felix thought about the odd similarity between Sakura's words and Igor's. Both had told him to be wise in his friendships. Sakura yawned loudly.

"Look at the time." He stretched and placed the newspaper down. "Your brother should be back soon…"

"Where is he?" Felix asked, trying not to look a little panicked. He failed.

"Don't worry. I sent him for groceries while I waited here for you. Normally, I'd get the groceries and he'd stay but I don't trust either of you to lock up." Sakura explained, drumming his fingers on the counter.

"If you saved Felix's number this wouldn't be a problem." Jack said, walking in the door. He handed Sakura a bag that was marked with the symbol of the grocer around the corner.

"Maybe you should've been faster." Sakura shot back without any heat. "Thanks Jack. I'll be leaving now." He said, passing him on his way to the door. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Goodnight Sojiro." Jack said with his usual smirk. As soon as Sakura locked the door and walked away, he whirled around to look at Felix. "Alright, tell me everything, you were pretty vague in your text." He said, leading Felix upstairs.

"Wait, what'd you buy?" He asked, pointing to the bag. Jack smirked.

"Materials. As your twin, I sensed you needed some sugar." He shrugged. "Come on I gotta know."

Felix told him all about what had happened from meeting Morgana in the real world to talking to Ann. Jack had his head in his palm, thinking.

"I get Ryuji not wanting to accidentally kill a guy, but what Ann said… If that bastard is also forcing himself on girls-- his own students-- then he doesn't deserve mercy," he said angrily. Felix nodded, about to say more when his phone went off. He glanced at the screen to see a message in the groupchat Jack had made. The name of the groupchat was now; "Real Party Bois".

**R.S.** -So, whaddya think about what Morgana told us?

-I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires…

-And Kamoshida's gonna turn like, brain dead if we mess up, right?

-I mean, sure I'm pissed at him

-But I dunno if I really wanna kill the guy.

**F.G.** -It does seem excessive.

Jack gave Felix an unimpressed look then. Felix grimaced back. Despite what the brothers had been discussing, deciding that someone should die, was not something he could tell Ryuji.

**R.S.** -For sure.

-Maybe I'm just freaking out, but I don't wanna end up a murderer cause of this shit.

-I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight.

"Alright but… what if he doesn't find some other way?" Jack asked, looking up from Felix's phone.

"Well…" Felix started, putting his phone away. "If he's willing, then I'd like to try and steal Kamoshida's desires. I don't think we should let him keep doing what he's doing." He said, shrugging.

"Nerd." Jack said with affection, ruffling Felix's hair. "Whenever you want to go back into the Castle I'm there."

 

\---

 

Felix was dream walking his way to school when the inane gossip that usually preceeded him to school, turned to something that made his blood run cold. The girls in front of him were speculating about Suzui, Ann's friend. They were saying that she was Kamoshida's new flame. They made it sound enviable… and that Ann was going to be disappointed. While they were probably right about that, Felix suspected that Ann wouldn’t be upset for the reasons they thought.

By the time Felix got to class, he was only half paying attention to the teachers. Morgana popped their head out of his desk, alarming him into almost flailing his arms. He carefully let them fall back to his lap.

"Have you made up your mind?" they asked. "No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me," Morgana pointed out. Felix pulled a sour face. He knew that, but he didn't think Ryuji did. Yet.

"Why are you in my desk?" Felix hissed instead.

"Did I just hear a cat just now?" Mr. Ushimaru asked, looking around. Surprisingly, the students around Felix shook their heads. Morgana meowed awkwardly. After yelling at the class, he went back to his lecture right as Felix felt his phone go off. The groupchat was now named "Infiltrator? I Hardly Know Her".

**R.S.** -It's no use… I can't think of any other way.

**F.G.** -Concentrate on class.

**R.S.** -I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida?

-Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says?

-Urgh, that damn furball…

Felix and Morgana shared a look, as the cat was peeking over at his phone screen. Felix shook his head and put his phone back into his pocket.

"Hey… What's that?!" A student on the other side of the room exclaimed, standing and looking out the window into the courtyard.

"Hey! This is a classroom!" Mr. Ushimaru snapped.

"She's going to jump!" The student behind the first one yelled,  covering their mouth in horror. Felix's eyebrows rose, and Mishima stood up.

"Suzui?" He said. Ann, who had been ignoring everything until that moment, shot up out of her seat.

"Shiho?" She whispered, not even seeming to realize she had spoken aloud. Ann stared in the direction everyone was looking.

"Hey! Stay in your seats! Do not step one foot out of this room!" Mr. Ushimaru tried again, but none of the students were listening to him anymore. Ann broke into a run out of the room. Felix didn't even think, he stood and ran after her.

From the window outside of the room, they could see Shiho standing on the edge of the roof. Before Felix could even blink, she was falling. Ann's hands covered her face, as if she couldn’t bare to watch, but her eyes were still open. Staring in horror. Mr. Ushimaru was trying to get the students back into the classroom but his voice was just a part of the meaningless background noice.

"No… Why?" Ann cried. "Shiho!" Felix moved out of her way as she ran towards the stairs. Felix was about to run after her again when Ryuji's familiar face stopped him.

"H-hey!" He greeted, looking shocked. Felix only paused, pointed after Ann.

"Ann," Felix said and immediately took off, Ryuji right on his heels.

There were so many people crowded around the doors and _everywhere_ that Ryuji had to push to get through to the courtyard. By the time they had gotten there, paramedics already had Shiho on a gurney and were already lifting her into the ambulance.

Ann was front and center, Felix could only imagine she was feeling right then. Her best friend lying there like that…

"What the hell's wrong with these people?!" Ryuji glared around them. Felix took his eyes off of the girls for the first time and noticed all the students around with their phones out, obviously taking videos or pictures. It made Felix sick.

"We need someone to go with her. Are there any teachers around?" One of the paramedics ask. A nearby teacher hemmed and hawed, looking at his feet.

"I-I'm not in charge of her class though…" His excuse was pathetic, other teachers grumbled their own weak excuses. Felix no longer felt sick. He felt incensed. How _dare_ all these _useless_ adults let these teenagers, supposedly under their care, suffer _alone_.

"We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa," someone mentioned. Ann stomped her foot impatiently; a childish gesture that didn’t seem childish in that moment.

"I'll go!" She said in a voice that brooked no argument.

To Felix's surprise, the paramedic simply nodded at her. He was probably in a rush to get Shiho to the hospital, after all. It was a miracle that she was alive, and she probably wouldn’t be for long…

As Ann crouched to be near to Shiho's face. Shockingly, Shiho opened her eyes. Her lips moved and Ann reacted violently. Felix could only just make out the shocked word to make it out of her mouth.

"Kamoshida?!"

The paramedics loaded the two girls into the ambulance, looking incredibly small and fragile, and it sped away. Felix watched where it had been, his mind racing. The students surrounding them started talking loudly to each other, some about the fall… others… Felix didn't want to listen anymore. He felt his anger, and consequently Arsene, rising in the back of his mind.

"Volleyball team…" Ryuji started, breaking Felix's attention. Teachers were ordering them to return but Felix was still seething.

Mishima's voice, dismayed and shrill, also broke through. Felix and Ryuji turned to see Mishima fleeing like the hounds of hell were at his heels.

"That guy…" Ryuji squinted after him.

"He definitely knows something." Felix agreed.

"We’re gonna make him talk this time." Ryuji growled, determination in his eyes. Anyone might have thought Ryuji's anger was misplaced, that he was going to beat the truth out of Mishima in revenge for Shiho, when it was Kamoshida was obviously the cause. But Felix was coming to know the angry dandelion of a boy. He knew who the enemy was, he knew it wasn't Mishima. It helped that Mishima didn't seem the sort to drive someone to attempt suicide. Felix hoped--prayed-- it was her only attempt.

They cornered Mishima easily, most people hadn't been corralled back to class yet so they used that to their advantage. Ryuji shoved Mishima into the corner, arm across his throat.

"That hurts!" Mishima complained. Ryuji's weight was on his back leg and any pressure he was applying was mostly going into Mishima's chest. Just as well. Felix didn't want him to get hurt; not on top of the abuse Kamoshida had already inflicted.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh?!" Ryuji demanded, voice a whisper by Ryuji standards but still harsh.

"I didn't run…" Mishima tried. Ryuji slammed his free fist into the lockers next to them, startling Mishima.

"She tried to kill herself!" Ryuji yelled, voice breaking at the end.

"L-leave me alone…" Mishima whimpered. He looked like he would piss himself any minute.

"Just tell us what you know." Felix said. He tried for a soothing tone; but he was easily as upset as Ryuji. Mishima seemed to have forgotten that Felix was even there. He gulped audibly, looking between the two of them.

"We ain't tryin' to get you busted." Ryuji removed his arm and took a step back. "We won't say you talked either."

Ryuji didn't get any less tense. Felix saw a muscle in his jaw pop as he got his emotions in check. They both needed to remember that Mishima wasn't the enemy.

"Suzui…" Mishima looked down, his voice quavering ."She was called to Mr. Kamoshida!" He said all in one breath.

"Wait what?!" Ryuji looked surprised. Felix had no idea what that meant. Maybe the rumor he heard that morning wasn't a load of--

"I was called by him a number of times too. To the teacher's room." He took a pained breath. "It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood… and hit them." Mishima paused for much longer this time. Felix had to grab Ryuji's arm to keep him from saying something that might make Mishima stop.

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything…" He rubbed his less bandaged arm. "Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been… worse than usual."

"He didn't--" Ryuji cut himself off, turning to look at Felix with horrible realization in his eyes. The two of them shared a moment of silent, horrified, understanding. Ryuji face crumpled into a mask of rage.

"That son of a bitch!" He yelled, and took off running. Felix briefly looked at Mishima before running after Ryuji. He didn't care if Mishima got away, his thoughts were only for Ryuji.

"He's after Mr. Kamoshida." Mishima said, surprising Felix. He'd expected the abused teenager to bounce. "He's probably in the PE faculty office on the second floor." They chased Ryuji through the Practice Building. When they made it into the office Ryuji had already found his target.

"You bastard!" Ryuji raged at Kamoshida who was sitting at a computer, eyebrows raised at the intrusion of teenagers. "The hell fuck hell did you do to that girl?!" Ryuji demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Kamoshida asked, dismissing them easily, turning back to his desktop.

"Don't," Ryuji punctuated his rage by kicking over a chair, "play dumb with me!" That got Kamoshida's attention.

"That's enough!" Kamoshida stood and faced them at his full height; matching Ryuji's volume.

"What you did… wasn't coaching!" Mishima was shaking with emotion. Fear or rage or both. Whatever the emotion was, it was giving him the push he needed.

"What did you say?" Kamoshida scoffed at Mishima.

"You… You sent me to call Suzui here…" Mishima's head fell into his hands. "I can only imagine what you did to her!" Kamoshida's condescending expression turned to cold fury.

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of." He said threateningly. "You're just upset that you're not good enough to be a regular in the team right? That's why you're making these ludicrous claims."

"That's not what this is about!" Mishima protested.

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking… what can you do?" Kamoshida asked, unfolding his arms and leaning forward patronizingly. "We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim. How would someone like that make a statement?"

Felix clenched and unclenched his jaw. He'd been here before. If it's the story of an adult verses a child, adults will always back the adult. Felix hated it, but he was used to it. He was really worried about Ryuji, who was radiating hate like heat in pseudo visual waves.

"There's no chance of her getting better, I hear… the poor girl." Kamoshida tut-tuted in feigned sympathy.

"No… That can't be…" Mishima whispered.

"You goddamn…!" Ryuji started, choking on his own rage before he could get anything more than a swear out.

"Do we need to have yet another case of "self-defense"?" Kamoshida asked, evil eye focusing on Ryuji, who's stance changed; Felix mirroring him.

"You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji started to swing towards Kamoshida's massive chin, but Felix was faster. As much as he wanted to see Kamoshida be punched in the face, he knew the short term satisfaction wouldn't outweigh the long-term consequences.

Felix caught his arm, and held.

"Let go of me--!" Ryuji made a token struggle against Felix, but no matter how angry he was, Ryuji wouldn't hurt his friend.

"It's not worth it," Felix hissed, voice low. His hand found Ryuji's wrist and tried to give a comforting squeeze.

"Oh? _You're_ stopping him? What a surprise." Kamoshida genuinely did look surprised. "There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?" He tried to goad Ryuji again. "Ohhhhh, you can't." He paused to laugh and Felix almost regretted holding Ryuji back. Kamoshida turned his back to them.

"Everyone present right now… will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting." He said, sitting back down.

"You can't make a decision like that!" Mishima exclaimed. Kamoshida swung back around.

"Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible." He growled the last part. Mishima blanched and made a half step back.

"Really Mishima."  He rolled his eyes. "You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records, didn't you?" For a second, Felix forgot that he had a record and looked at Ryuji. That second ended and he blinked rapidly. That made sense.

"It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible." Kamoshida said nastily. "The only reason you kept your place on the team, despite being such a miserable player. It was because you understand computers. It's a shame you used it for such a nasty trick."

"Mishima?" Ryuji's eyes had gone wide when he turned to look at Mishima. Felix forgot he even had a bad school record, let alone Ryuji's.

"He told me to do it. I had no choice." Mishima admitted, falling to his knees. Kamoshida started cackling, waving his hand, dismissively.

"Now, are we finished here? You're all expelled!" Kamoshida snickered to himself still. "You're done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight."

"I can't believe this asshole's gettin' away with this!" Ryuji growled, looking to Felix.

"He'll eat his words," Felix said, darkly.

"Huh?" It took Ryuji a second to get it. "Ohhh right. We have that!" He said, his expression brightening.

Kamoshida ignored them as Felix and Ryuji helped Mishima up before leaving the fowl office.

 

\---

 

Mishima was kind of a hollow shell when they dropped him off at the school gate. They went back to the pavilion in the courtyard. Morgana met them there, revealing they had been listening the whole time.

"We can't waste any time." Ryuji said, hitting the nearest vending machine. "We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!"

"We're not beating him up! We're simply stealing his distorted desires." Morgana corrected him. Felix shook his head.

"But we could, in the process of that, beat him up." Felix pointed out, wholly on board with kicking the shit out of Kamoshida. That seemed to stop Ryuji from tearing his hair out in impatience.

"Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this-- about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?" Morgana asked as it had been their biggest hang up.

"I have," Ryuji said seriously. "Someone almost died because of him! I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!" They both looked to Felix expectantly.

"I think it's time to take him down." Felix nodded, but he was still waiting on Jack to get there. He had texted him earlier, but when he would get there was up to the train.

"Then it's settled." Morgana looked pleased, and a little evil. That was probably the kitty face.

"By the way, is gettin' rid of a Palace hard?" Ryuji asked, blessedly stalling, without Felix having to voice his worry. "You've tried it before, right?"

"When did I ever say that?" Morgana said, tilting their head.

"Eh?" Ryuji stared at them for a second. "What?!" He yelled, understandably mad. "Were you just pretendin' to know?!" He started jiggling his leg.

"Is it true that you're getting expelled?" Ann said, making Ryuji glare at the cat in quiet rage. "Everyone's talking about it…"

"That asshole's at it again!" Ryuji said through gritted teeth. "So you came-"

"The fuck is up with this school and rumors?" Felix said, accidentally cutting off Ryuji. He was rewarded with an exhale of laughter from Ann. They were quiet for a moment, all eyes on Ann.

"If you're going to deal with Kamoshida, let me in on it too." She swallowed thickly. "I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!" Ann stuck out her chin, a defiant gleam in her eye.

"This has nothing to do with you. Don't butt your head into this." Ryuji said, surprisingly calm. Felix shot a confused look at him. It had _everything_ to do with her. She had been in the castle! He stared at Ryuji, trying to tell him that this was a bad idea, psychically.

"But it does! Shiho's my--"

"I said don't get in our way!" That's when it clicked for Felix. Ryuji was trying to protect her. He'd already been without a Persona in the Palace. He didn't want her to get hurt. It was easy to forget that Ryuji and Ann had been childhood friends… with Shiho. The three of them went way back.

Ann glared at the both of them, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes before she turned on her heel and dashed away.

"Jeez I bet you could hear him yelling from the front gates." Jack said, coming in from the other side. "I hope I didn't miss anything important. I was already on my way here when I got Felix's text."

"That was harsh." Morgana said to Ryuji, after briefly nodding at Jack.

"We can't take her somewhere like that." Ryuji folded his arms. Jack nodded sagely, as if he knew what was happening. He'd probably been eavesdropping when he saw them in conversation with another student.

"I hope that she doesn't torment herself over this." Morgana shook their head. "When it comes down to it, women don't hesitate." That sounded like it came from experience.

"We just gotta hurry up and deal with Kamoshida." Ryuji said, looking back to Felix. "Let's go already!" Felix felt Ryuji's anxiety. They brought Jack up to speed on the way to the alleyway across from the school. Once they got to the confrontation with Kamoshida, Jack's demeanor changed entirely.

"That bastard!" He stepped back towards the school, but Felix stopped him.

"He'd find a way to attack you too Jack. Don't worry, we'll get our payback." Felix reminded him. Jack looked ready to argue, but shut his mouth.

"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you're ready." Morgana told them all. Ryuji's eyebrows drew together, and the twins looked at Morgana with mirrored looks of confusion.

"Phantom thieves?" Ryuji asked.

"What does that even mean?" Jack asked at almost the same moment.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure-- that is what we become!" Morgana explained excitedly.

"Not bad." Felix said, fiddling with his bangs. It sounded cool.

"Emphasis on the stylish." Jack flipped his small ponytail. Felix snorted, but didn't have time to properly mock his twin.

"That sounds kinda cool!" Ryuji added, rotating his arm like he was working out a muscle. "So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and Castle? Then we end up in bizarro world." He double checked what they already knew and took out his phone.

 

\---

 

They entered the Metaverse.

"All right!" Ryuji sounded almost like he wasn't expecting it to work. "Time to bust on through!"

"What is this?!" The familiar yell made Felix close his eyes, praying he was wrong.

He wasn't. Ann ran up to the four of them.

"T-Takamaki?!" Ryuji's mouth hung open. Ann eyes widened.

"That voice… Sakamoto?! And… are you Felix?!" She was looking at Jack with that last comment and the twins shrugged. She was close.

"Wh-wh-why are you here?!" Ryuji demanded.

"How should I know?!" She replied, looking distressed. "What's going on?" She turned to look at the bizzaro world surroundings. "Hey, where are we? Isn't this the school?!"

"It's… almost the school." Felix explained without explaining anything. They were all waiting on Morgana to say something, but they were peculiarly silent.

"Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing." Morgana finally spoke, turning to Ryuji. "If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."

"Except it hasn't pulled any of the random kids leaving school." Jack pointed out.

"For real?" Ryuji stared at Morgana.

"Wait," Ann pulled their attention back to her. "So _this_ is related to Kamoshida?!" Felix looked at Ryuji, a little alarmed.

"Anyways, you gotta leave!" Ryuji said, tactfully.

"No!" She was just as stubborn as he was.

"The shadows are going to find us if you make a scene." Morgan hissed.

"No way! It talked?! Oh my god, it's a monster cat!" Ann screamed. Felix prayed they weren't attracting any unwanted attention.

"Monster?" Morgana's cartoonish eyes shrunk in cartoon sadness.

"You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!" Ann sounded like she was on the brink of tears.

"Looks like we gotta force her." Ryuji said scratching the back of his head. "But… How're we supposed to do that?"

"Just take her back to where we came in. That's how it worked last time, right?" Morgana suggested.

"O-oh, yeah. Can you lend me a hand?" He was looking between the twins. Jack shrugged.

"Got it." He said, no worries about forcefully moving her.

"I feel bad…" Felix said, rubbing his arm and hiding behind his hair and mask.  Jack clapped him on the shoulder.

"No worries Felix. Ryuji and I can do it." He grinned his signature grin before turning on Ann with his serious face.

"What're you--" Ann was interrupted by Ryuji.

"We'll explain after everything's over!" He said, somewhat apologetically.

Despite her protesting, Ryuji and Jack were able to shove her out of the Metaverse. Ryuji sighed and slouched further down.

"We better be careful from now on when we use that app." Ryuji decided, letting out another breath.

"You should've checked the tools you used!" Morgana scolded. "Why do I--the one who was just watching--know more about that you guys?" They complained further.

"Sh-shuddup!" Ryuji looked away partially ashamed.

"We've never accidentally pulled someone else in…" Felix mumbled, staring back where they had dropped Ann off.

"Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off… We gotta deal with this fast!" Ryuji continued.

"That girl's name is Ann Takamaki, right?" Morgana asked, more to themself than anyone else. "Lady Ann…"

"Come on, pull your heads out of the clouds." Jack said, knocking on both Felix and Morgana's heads. "We've got work to do." Morgana shook their head and jumped to the ground.

"Lady Ann's screaming attracted the attention of the Shadows. You better brace yourselves, got it?" they said, Jack and Felix exchanging a look. "We're counting on you, Joker!"

"Joker?" Ryuji and Jack said at the same time. "That a nickname?" Ryuji asked.

"Don't say it like that." Morgana whined. "It's a code name. What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name?! I'm not down for that! And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace." Morgana finally took a breath. "It's just a precaution."

"So, why's he Joker?" Ryuji asked.

"Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength," Morgana continued, looking up at Felix.

"Not bad," Felix said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"I like it," Jack added. Felix squinted at him, he probably only liked it because it was an easy target for puns.

"It's settled then!" Morgana looked a little too pleased. "Next up is--"

"If Felix is Joker I want to be Ace." Jack interrupted, Felix could feel his signature grin, and see it in the corners of his eyes.

"That's pretty cool." Ryuji patted Jack on the back, fueling his ego. "Me now though. What do you think?"

"You'll be… Let's see…" Morgana started, folding their arms in thought. "Thug."

"Oh come on that's lame!" Ryuji protested. "I'll choose it myself." He thought for a second. "Hm… When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Honestly, I actually kinda like it. What if we named me after this?"

Jack clapped a hand over Felix's mouth before he could speak. "Skull is a pretty cool name." He said encouragingly.

"Ahh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" He pumped a fist in the air and Jack finally released his hold on Felix.

"I wasn't going to call him anything bad…" Felix mumbled.

"Uh-huh. You were gonna call him Braincase or Cranium I could feel it." Jack retorted quietly.

"What do we do about this one's code name?" Ryuji asked, indicating Morgana.

"What do you think?" Felix asked the both of them.

"How 'bout Mona?" Ryuji suggested. All of the others looked at him with roughly the same expression.

"That's way too close to Morgana," Morgana protested. The twins nodded. Jack snapped his fingers.

"Ooo! I got it! How about Medium? Because a psychic Medium can go between worlds?" He explained excitedly.

"I was thinkin' like video game size category Medium but I like it," Ryuji admitted.

"I like it!" Morgana said proudly. "From here on out, we're Joker, Ace, Skull, and Medium." Nodding in satisfaction, they turned to face the group as a whole. "We need to be absolutely _thorough_ about using those code names from now on! The fate of our mission may depend on it."

They nodded. It was go time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha haaaa. Sorry for the wait, trying to wrap up going to collegg. We're still working on this! Promise!


	11. HEWWO LADY ANN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same chapter title? More likely than you'd think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight warning for this one. It's Kamoshida being Kamoshida...

Not five minutes into their infiltration, a commotion in the throne room made them skid to a halt.

"Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders!" The now-familiar boom of a soldier's voice startled all four of them. Joker caught Ace rolling his eyes.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Skull swore, looking towards the door to the throne room. Joker approached it cautiously, motioning everyone to get behind him.

"Hey, look! Ain't that-" Ace clapped a hand over Skull's mouth. King Kamoshida stood on the landing of his gaudy stairs.

"Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining." He seemed quite amused with himself, making Skull growl against Ace's hand. "However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads!" He punctuated this with a swish of his poncho-cape. The guards below him cheered like it was the most stirring speech they had heard.

"Praise be to King Kamoshida!"

"Death to the intruders!"

"And you're sure we can't just beat the crap outta him and call it a day?" Skull asked, wriggling out of Ace's hold.

"Look at all those soldiers, it'd be suicide. I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last time." Medium replied. Skull's eyes darted to Joker's. "Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins? There's no point in beating him up, unless it's for the Treasure."

"Except to let off some steam." Ace added, cracking his knuckles. Skull nodded vigorously.

"So, where is the treasure?" Joker asked, getting them back on track.

"It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle." Medium said, waving a paw vaguely. "Let's keep going while his royal assness is busy!"

They obviously couldn't cross through the main hall, so Joker went for the door across from their infiltration point.

And almost ran directly into the ass of a soldier. Skull swiftly pulled Joker back around the corner.

"Dammit, there's a guard over here too." He held onto Joker for a second longer than he needed to. The pressure of his hands wonderfully grounding in this strange place. He immediately missed the weight once Skull let go.

"Since this is the only way further into the castle, I think we're going to have to kick its ass." Ace offered.

"Hmm, and there's one more thing I want to teach you." Medium added.

With the approval of his squad, Joker went and struck the guard.

Medium went on to explain how to shake down spirits for money or things.

Ace quickly took out a revolver and shot the Pixie down. Smugness radiated from him like stink lines.

"Seriously?! You guys are the intruders that King Kamoshida was talking about?" The downed Pixie asked hotly. "It can't get worse than this… What're you going to do with me?!" Joker thought for a moment.

"I would like an item." He asked, feeling a little bad for the tiny creature in front of them.

"For real? so you'll let me live if I just give you something?" She asked, looking between all four of them.

"Well, something along those lines… Just cough it up!" Medium demanded, their tail curling smugly.

"But, this happened so suddenly… I actually don't have anything on me." She said. The look on Skull's face must have scared her because Joker could swear she started sweating. "I-I usually do though, you know?!"

"Wait, what? This isn't how I was planning this to go." Medium started panicking themselves. They recovered quickly. "Uh… Anyway, it can't be helped if that's the case. Time for you to go to hell."

"W-wait!" The Pixie stopped them once again.

"Sorry, but we're in a hurry." They had spent too much time here already.

"No, wait up! Can't we work something out? Don't kill me, please! Won't you let me go?" Her eyes were specifically on Joker, as if he was the most sympathetic out of the group.

"You chose the wrong enemy." He said instead. He was impatient to leave, after all. Ace stared at his brother, impressed with the spine he had managed to grow.

"Wow… You're really confident." The Pixie was suddenly looking at Joker with respect. "But I'm the same way. In any other situation, we'd get along really well." She looked sad, then blinked in surprise. "Whoa, I feel different! Something's happening!"

"What the?! What's going on?!" Medium was blindsided by this as well. The Pixie leaped up, her wings fluttering again.

"Oh yeah, I remember now! I don't belong just to King Kamoshida…" Ace looked to Medium in confusion but they shrugged. "I'm an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity's souls!" She finally looked at Joker again. "My real name is Pixie!"

"Called it!" Ace said, earning a glare from Medium.

"I'm Pixie! From now on, I'll live on inside your heart!" With that pronouncement, a bright blue light shown from her body. She disappeared, and where she had been floated a mask that looked like the one Joker wore. It quickly joined the mask on his face. He felt it in confusion.

"What was that just now? What happened?!" Medium tried to wrap their head around it.

"Yeah what the hell!? The enemy got sucked into Joker's mask!" Skull asked, looking between Joker and Medium for explanation. Joker shrugged, not quite sure himself.

"I-I have no idea! I wasn't expecting that either!" Medium flailed their arms.

"Uh, guys-" Ace started, seeing a soldier approach the open door.

"Intruders?! Halt!" It yelled.

"Crap, they noticed us!" Skull turned around, striking the soldier since Joker was so far away. It melted into the horse with horns. Joker was struck with an idea. Carefully, he took a layer off of his mask, turning it into an elaborate spin move. He could feel Ace's laughter, it sounded like his twin was about to fall over.

Joker found that switching to Pixie, he had different abilities. Trusting her to guide him, he struck one of the beasts with lightning.

"I-Is that the Shadow from earlier?!" Medium asked, their eyes wide. "Did you take in the Shadow's appearance and powers as a Persona?!" Joker frowned, annoyed at Medium. He could never really talk during combat, he had so much to concentrate on.

Skull knocked down the remaining horned beast, pointing his gun at the creature so it would stay down. Ace shot a look at Joker that clearly said he shouldn’t try to take the beast as a Persona. They cleaned up and started to move on, when Medium stopped them.

"Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas?" Medium was nearly vibrating with excitement.

"What was that about?! What did Joker do?" Skull asked, peaking outside the door to make sure more guards weren't headed their way.

"He sealed the enemy's appearance and powers into his mask, and made it his new Persona…" Medium put a paw up to their face. "I've never seen anyone do that before… didn't even know it was possible!"

"Is this... good?" Joker asked hesitantly, looking to his twin. Ace gave him a thumbs up.

"Makes you a little more useful, and oh so graceful with your spin move." He mocked easily, mimicking said spin. Joker made a face at him.

"Of course it's good! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! But this…" Medium waved a paw at Joker. "This is incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle! We'll have to try to do that more, if the opportunity arises! You two better help out too!" They pointed between Skull and Ace.

"Hell yeah! We'll hold up every last one of 'em!" Skull looked pumped up, grinning at Joker.

Medium cackled and their eyes sparkled. "I like you even more now! I really do have someone special on my hands!"

"And us? We're just chopped liver." Ace shrugged at Skull, who was still grinning.

Thankfully for the thieves, the second door in the room lead to a hallway. On they crept through the castle, dispatching more and more shadows, even finding a real-ass treasure chest. The groups soon found themselves at another saferoom.

"Aren't there even more Shadows here than before?" Skull asked once they were inside. "Just gettin' this far's been a real pain in my ass."

"It's because you guys provoked Kamoshida." Medium groused, making a face. "He seems to be awfully on guard."

"Whatever, how're we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?" Skull asked.

"Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route." Joker could feel the monologue coming before they even started. "A path to the Treasure's location, for Skull," Morgana added patronizingly. The jab made Joker squint and fold his arms, but Morgana continued. "But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower in order to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice…" They looked away, thinking.

"Hey, you say you don't have your memories and all, but somehow you still know about that kinda stuff?" Skull asked, suspiciously. "Do you think this thing's really got amnesia?" He asked Ace out of the corner of his mouth.

"It is suspicious..." Ace looked down at a shocked Medium.

"That's what you think of me?!" Medium's gaze darted between them.

"I believe in Medium." Joker offered in his usual quiet voice. As pathetic a defense as it was, Medium still looked at him gratefully.

"You sure talk big, but what if it turns out you're just some stray cat in the end?" Skull hadn't missed the insult to his intelligence earlier. That, added to the total lack of certainty about themselves that Medium brought to the table, Skull was really venting his frustration.

"That can't be…" Medium protested weakly, like they weren't sure themselves.

"Still," a Soldier's voice cut in suddenly from beyond the door. Ace's hand shot out to Joker, like he needed more proof than his eyes that he was still there and safe. "Why was the princess in such an odd place?"

"Princess?" Skull looked to Joker for an explanation. Medium approached the door, pressing their ear against the wood.

"I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder."

"It doesn't matter now." A new guards voice. "We must take her back to King Kamoshida!" This was followed by the sound of heavy hustled footsteps.

"Princess?" Ace frowned. Skull shrugged

"I should probably look into this!" Medium said, already halfway out the door.

"Not alone you don't." Ace muttered following them and forcing Skull and Joker to hurry after.

When they snuck close enough to the source of the voices, Joker almost wished they hadn't. Ann Takamaki, the real one, was struggling in the clutches of some Shadows.  Medium had been right about the gate they'd passed that had been sealed shut. They followed the shadows holding Ann through them. Joker gulped, unsure of what would be beyond the short hallway lined with suits of armor.

"Look, I'll apologize for touching the armor without permission!" Ann's voice came from beyond the door.

"She totally doesn't get what's goin' on!" Skull urged them forward.

Medium pushed the door open to reveal quite the sight. Joker had to grab his brother's arm.

"Are you seeing-" He started, frozen in place.

"Yep." Ace replied, swallowing thickly.

"This is effed up…" Skull stared at the room as a whole. There were girls on the floor in… compromising positions. They had to represent the members of the girls' volleyball team; but what they were wearing sure as hell wasn’t the uniform.

"Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team?!" Skull shook his head and looked to Joker, as if he was the only safe place to look.

"Hey, that's…!" Medium trailed off as they realized that the room extended to the side.

The real Ann was tied up by her wrists and ankles on a gaudy gold object shaped like an x. Behind her was the worst painting of Kamoshida yet. He was wearing his stupid poncho with his muscles obviously over exaggerated. Candles were lit in a semi circle around Ann. But the worst part was probably the rose petals. Three guards stood in front of her, the foremost one was golden.

Kamoshida stood nearby, the fake Ann standing next to him.

Seeing the real Ann made the three of them unfreeze.

"Takamaki!" Skull called, running up next to Kamoshida.

"Just when I was about to start enjoying myself." Kamoshida growled at their intrusion.

"What's the deal with this guy?!" Ann yelled, but all eyes were on the intruders.

"You little…!" Skull was a loss for words, his rage palpable.

"How many times are you gonna come back?" Kamoshida growled at the four of them before looking back to Ann. "I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh?" He looked far too relaxed. "But it's your fault she jumped, you know. That chick… ah, I forget her name…"

"Oh my god fuck this guy, fuck him all the way to hell." Ace growled, quiet enough for only Joker to hear. He nodded, his fists clenching.

"You were so reluctant to throw yourself at me that I had her take your place."

"You bastard!" Ann howled it in anger. Joker couldn't help but admire her in that moment. She was tied up and totally at this naked bastard's mercy but instead of cowering, she just looked angry. The golden Knight started walking towards her and again, instead of shrinking, she glared at the shadow with the full weight of her fury.

"No!" Skull took a step when the shadow did, only for the other two soldiers to cross their blades under her head.

"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot." Kamoshida spat. A flimsy threat, because he was going to kill her anyway. But Skull stopped anyway. "Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show." Kamoshida sniggered, his sick grin returning.

"No! Sakamoto get out of here!" Ann yelled, her eyes shifting briefly to look at the thieves.

"Maybe I'll start with her clothes." Kamoshida said, pulling the creepiest face yet. Joker winced and Ace started making retching noises.

"You're such a perv!" The fake Ann giggled.

"H-Hey, what're we gonna do?!" Skull turned to the rest of the group. Joker was still trying to recover from the face Kamoshida had made. Medium shook their head. "Takamaki!" He yelled helplessly as the gold Knight advanced again.

"I started with your friend's clothes too, you know," Kamoshida said, voice salacious and filled with evil. "It should have been you, but you gave me no choice."

Ann's face crumpled, her rage replaced with heartbreak. She let her chin fall to rest on her chest.

"Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho?" Ann asked aloud.

"That's more like it." Kamoshida sighed, his twisted grin widening. "You should've looked like this from the start."

"Shiho… I'm so sorry…" Ann sobbed, arms going limp.

"You're just going to take that?!" Ace shouted. Ann looked up from her feet, startled.

"Don't give in!" Joker added, seeing the light flicker back into her eyes.

"Fuck off!" Skull yelled, kinda missing the point but the fire was back in Ann's eyes.

"No… No, fuck this guy!" She whipped her head around to face Kamoshida. "Letting this piece of shit toy with me." She spat the word 'shit' and Joker thought he saw some of it land on Kamoshida.

"What was I thinking?!" Ann asked rhetorically. A nasty grimace was growing on Kamoshida's face.

"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and--"

"Shut up!" Ann interrupted him. "I've had enough of this. You hurt Shiho and you've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"

**_My… It's taken far too long._ **

Joker winced at the sudden voice. Ann started writhing as well. Joker could feel Ace's eyes on him, but he couldn't look away from Ann. She was already screaming. He remembered the residual crackle under his skin from Skull's awakening, but Ann's energy felt like flames.

**_Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't?_** The woman's voice continued. All Joker wanted to do was to ease her suffering, but all Persona wielders had to go through the pain of the awakening.

**_Forgiving him was never the option…_** Or at least he was pretty sure that was the case. He'd have to ask Medium about awakenings later. **_Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within._**

**_I am thou, thou art I…_** It was almost over. Joker bit the inside of his lip, interested to see what kind of mask she'd receive. **_We can finally forge a contract._** Ann muttered something to herself, and her writhing stopped.

"You're right. No more holding back!" A red and white cat mask appeared on her face. Kamoshida looked rightly terrified, sweat pouring down his face.

**_There you go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself._** Ann broke free from the metal restraints holding her arms up. **_Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength._** The woman had barely finished the word strength when Ann ripped the mask off of her face. The familiar pillar of light burst up, making those present shield their eyes.

The Persona that stood with Ann was a tall woman. One of her feet rested on a man in a suit with a heart for a head. She wore a long salsa dress. She held another man by the stem of a long rose. A cigar rested in her mouth. The rest of her face was obscured by a cat mask. Long black pigtails were the only things that escaped from the mask.

Now, Ann, wearing a red catsuit with boots up past her knees, stood on her own two feet. Her pink gloves were really what had Joker's attention, you really shouldn't mix pink and red. While he was thinking about that, Ann was already moving. She kicked the sword out of one of the guards hands.

Catching it out of the air, Ann used the momentum to decapitate her bizzaro bikini copy-ahem-cat. It melted into the standard shadow substance.

Like a coward, Kamoshida backed behind his golden Knight, as if a million golden knights could save him from her wrath.

"You know what?" Ann seethed. "We're not some cheap girls you can toy with… you scumbag." She stood, holding the massive sword with one hand.

"Bitch!" Kamoshida sounded pathetic, like a kid sticking his tongue out at someone he didn't like.

"You stole everything from Shiho. You destroyed her. Now, it's your turn." Ann finally dropped the sword. Joker quickly moved to back her up, the rest of the thieves right behind him. "I will rob you of everything!" She pointed at him behind all his guards.

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" The gold Knight and the other two guards melted into their true forms.

"No, I've had enough of you. No one's gonna stop me now!" Ann retorted. "Let's go, Carmen."

"Is that a-" Ace started, looking at what the golden knight had melted into. Joker pressed his lips together, holding in a laugh. Skull didn't hold it in at all. The shadow was a demon, who was still on the shitter. It looked almost like he was stuck to the toilet.

"Really guys?" Medium asked. Ace motioned helplessly.

"It's just so ridiculous!" Skull added.

"How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass?! Pay for this insolence with your life!" It spun in place angrily.

"That _dirtbag_ just sees women as sexual outlets! Don't make me laugh with that "love" bullshit!" Ann rebuked loudly. "C'mon, Carmen! Let's give 'em hell!" With that, she set fire to the demon. It was a stroke of luck that that was the demon's weakness.

Without a second thought, Joker ordered an All Out Attack. Either rage made her stronger, or newly awakened persona users must have an extra oomph, because the shadow hit the ground and didn’t get back up again.

"To think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida…" It managed.

"Pff, outside of school, that guy's nothing but a pathetic loser!" Ann scoffed.

"Those are some shitty last words." Ace added, spinning his pistol. With that, the shadow dispersed. Ann immediately deflated, her shoulders sagging. The rest of the team stood around her, their eyes on Kamoshida.

"Oh shit!" Was all he managed to say. His panicked eyes flitted between Ann and the Thieves. Ann glared at him and he immediately dashed away. She finally collapsed.

"Wait…!" She called, unable to follow him.

"Why'd you come here, man?! And more importantly, how?!" Skull demanded, his worry showing through his usual rudeness.

"Hey! Is that how you speak to a lady?!" Medium rebuffed, standing worriedly next to Ann. "Are you all right, Lady Ann?!" She looked at them in confusion.

"Lady Ann?" She then shook her head. "Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk?" She fired off so many questions at once that Joker wasn't quite sure where to start. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but was unable to find an opening. "And… where in the world are we?!"

"First guess? Kamoshida's sex dungeon." Ace piped up, earning a look from both Joker and Skull.

"J-just calm down. Everything's going to be okay; don't worry." Medium tried to calm her. It didn't work and Ann was the opposite of calm when she used Medium as a boost to help her stand up.

"How am I supposed to calm down?!" She demanded, understandably. "H-huh?" She finally noticed the cat suit she was wearing. "Why am I dressed like this?! When did I? Ugh what's with this?!" She crouched down again, almost like she had before Joker talked to her in the subway.

"Ann, it's okay." Joker said soothingly, crouching down with her. She looked up at him, meeting his steel gray eyes.

"…Felix?" She squinted at him.

"A search party will be coming for us soon. There's no time to explain," Medium pulled at Joker. He nodded and stood, offering a hand to Ann. "We don't have a choice. Let's retreat for now!" they urged the party to hurry up. Ann stood without Joker's help.

"We were just gettin'… Ugh. You're gonna collapse if you don't let us support you." Skull said, shaking his head. He was right, Ann already looked wobbly.

 

\----

 

They ended up in the subway once again. Ryuji offered Ann two drinks.

"Which one you want?" He asked, giving her the choice.

"Whichever's not carbonated." She was no longer hysterical, instead sounding tired.

"Uh, they're both actually." He looked at the labels then shrugged. She sighed and pointed at the Pepsi looking one. "Here ya go." Ryuji offered the other one to Felix, who looked surprised but took it with a muttered thanks and a slight blush.

"What about me?" Morgana demanded, popping up from Felix's bag.

"You'll get milk when we get home." Jack said, returning from the bathroom. "Ooh you got me a drink!" He said swiping the one in Felix's hand. Ann chuckled weakly at the exchange.

"Have you calmed down, Lady Ann?" Morgana asked, leaning on Felix's shoulder uncomfortably. She blinked up at the cat.

"Um… Morgana, right?" She stared at the cat for a second, before looking down into her bottle. "I really am talking to a cat. This feels so strange…" She shook her head. "Sorry! You're not a cat, right?"

"It's only natural that you're confused. Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much." Both Ryuji and Felix gave Morgana the same look. Felix fought back a snarky comment, trading it in for making a snarky face at Jack and taking back his now open drink.

"Honestly, I still can't believe what happened." She took a sip of her soda. "And that power… my Persona." She said the word like she was testing out how it felt in her mouth. Ann shook her head.

"Feels weird huh." Jack said, stealing the drink again. She looked at him, head cocked to the side. "I'm Jack, by the way. Felix's twin brother." He said, shooting her his signature grin. Ann looked to Felix, then back again. It felt like she was comparing them to each other. It seemed to convince her.

"What you said earlier. Is it really possible?" Ann asked, she was looking at the ground, but raised her head to meet Felix's, then Morgana's eyes. "To change Kamoshida's heart I mean. Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

"The volleyball team's keepin' quiet about this, while the teachers and parents are turning a blind eye. If guys like us try and complain, they're just gonna shoot us down." Ryuji summed up what they had figured out over the past two days. "Goin' all in on this plan is the only choice we got." Ann chewed her lip for a moment.

"Then let me help too. I want to make him pay for happened to Shiho." She said, venomously. "He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her… I'll never forgive him." Her fist clenched on her drink, so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

There was silence for a moment. Ryuji looked to Felix, then Jack. A silent question on his lips. Felix nodded, and Jack's smile grew.

"I think she'll be great!" He said enthusiastically. Ryuji still looked a little worried, but Felix assumed that that less because he thought Ann couldn't handle it, and more because it was hard for Ryuji to willingly put anyone he knew in danger.

"I agree. We are lacking in manpower, after all." Morgana added, their tail curling. "Don't worry, I'll protect her."

"Even if you said no, I'd just go in alone." Ann pointed out, ignoring Morgana's bravado.

"Oh right, she can go by herself. Guess it'd be more dangerous turnin' her down." Ryuji ruffled his hair in annoyance.

"Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along!" She smiled for the first time in awhile.

"Like a house on fire." Felix said, earning a nudge from his brother before he stole the drink back.

"I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did." Her slight smile didn't last. "Not just for Shiho's sake, but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him." She took a deep breath. Felix could feel her resolve. She'd make a great addition to the team.

"Just let me know when you're heading back in…" She turned to leave then stopped. "Oh wait! We don't have each other's info. Hey, give me your number and chat ID. And, um…" They were already taking out their phones when she trailed off. "I'll be counting on you, then." Ann walked off.

Felix deflated slightly, making Jack look at him worriedly.

"What a kind girl… Such admirable consideration for others." Morgana stared off where Ann had gone. "And the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal. She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot… What a girl! She's captured my heart." Morgana went on.

"Dude." Ryuji said, trying to pull the cat back into reality. "You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quick from now on," he pointed out, addressing Felix.

"True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things," Morgana ceased their sonnet about Ann to talk seriously again.

"A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that," Ryuji's sharp grin came back and Felix had to hold onto his brother to keep from falling over from gayness.

"The school rooftop would work…" Morgana started. "It seems like nobody goes up there. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout."

"It shouldn't be hard for me to sneak into the school and up onto the roof." Jack said with a shrug.

"I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world. That being said, I'll need someone to take care of me." They looked far too pleased with themselves. Jack looked swiftly at Morgana, meeting Felix's eyes in the process. "I'm personally--"

"No. We don't know if Sakura will let us." Felix cut Morgana off, squinting at his brother.

"Sorry Felix…" Ryuji started, drawing his eyes. "There's no way I can at my place." Felix opened his mouth again, but was interrupted by the announcement that the train was arriving. "Well, we now have our hideout, so let's meet there tomorrow!" Ryuji ran off, leaving the twins with the cat.

"Come on Felix! I've always wanted a cat!" Jack said excitedly.

"Let's go look at my new residence for this world." Morgana said, loftily, choosing not to correct him on the 'cat' thing.

 

\----

 

Surprisingly, when they arrived at LeBlanc it was still open. A goth woman sat at the table across from where Sakura stood.

"The store's still open. Go upstairs." He sounded a little more surly than usual. Jack gave Felix a guilty look before grabbing a spare apron and joining Sakura.

Felix wasn't even out of the café when the woman left. Sakura let out a breath.

"That's it for today." He closed his eyes.

"So who was that? I've never seen her in the shop before." Jack asked, already starting on the dishes.

"She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street." Sakura leaned on the counter. "Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations, and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that." He shook his head. "At least, that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself."

"Rumors are usually bullshit." Felix blurted out, more sharply than he had meant to. Thankfully, Sakura either didn't notice, or chose to ignore it.

"They should really just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives." He sighed.

"Hey, are we there yet?" Morgana's voice came from Felix's bag. He swallowed and closed his eyes. There was silence for a moment.

"Well, I've gotta get home and start making dinner…" Sakura said after a moment, giving Felix and Jack a way out and up to their room.

"Next time, we use a tap system." Felix said, less than gently setting down his bag.

"What the?! What is this place?!" Morgana's shock was warranted, neither Felix or Jack had had time to clean the rest of the room up yet. "Is this some kind of abandoned house?!" Footsteps sounded and Morgana shrunk into a Morgana cat-loaf.

"Hey, are you--" Sakura demanded, cutting himself off when he saw the cat. "I was wondering why I heard meowing. What did you bring it here for?!"

"It was abandoned!" The twins said in unison. Jack was giving Sakura his best puppy-dog eyes.

"That's… that's a shame." Sakura was trying and failing to stay mad. "Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go." Felix looked down sadly. The force of the twins combined broke Sakura's will. "Though… I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of." He took another breath, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Fine."

Jack beamed immediately. "Thanks Sojiro!" Felix beamed even harder.

"But!" He cut off their jubilation. "Keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out." He picked up steam, only pausing to take a small breath. "Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you," he finished as he walked away.

"Was that the ruler of this place?" Morgana asked in wonder.

"Yep." Jack nodded with Felix.

"He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump." Felix looked offended. "Then again, I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat."

"It's not a dump! I just haven't finished cleaning it up!" Felix was startled out of his outrage by Sakura returning.

"Seriously… It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice." He placed a plate of food in front of Morgana before turning to Jack. "Make sure one of you washes that dish." Jack nodded, raising his eyebrows at Felix.

"By the way, have you decided on a name?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We're calling them Morgana." Jack said, glancing at them.

"Morgana? Huh." Sakura frowned and looked away. "I was hoping I'd get to name it."

"Next time, Sojiro." Felix said, trying to hide his smile. Sojiro shrugged and started walking away.

"Wait, next time?" Came the muffled cry from downstairs. The boys burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we play a drinking game. Take a drink everytime someone says "For Real??" I'm real glad I don't drink alcohol cuz I would be dead.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to thank my sisters, most specifically NovemberOcean, for putting up with me constantly talking about this. She also edited it for me so double bonus points. Writing this takes quite a bit of time, so I hope you enjoyed it!


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